Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS)’s share price gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $29.75, but opened at $28.62. Telephone and Data Systems shares last traded at $28.08, with a volume of 161,274 shares.

Telephone and Data Systems Trading Down 7.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The company has a market cap of $3.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.69 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.32.

Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 1st. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.14) by $0.15. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.24 billion. Telephone and Data Systems had a positive return on equity of 0.73% and a negative net margin of 9.31%. The business’s revenue was down 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.16) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. will post -0.44 EPS for the current year.

Telephone and Data Systems Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th were given a dividend of $0.04 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $0.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Telephone and Data Systems’s payout ratio is currently -3.31%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telephone and Data Systems

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in TDS. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 26.1% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 86,106 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $1,379,000 after acquiring an additional 17,825 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems in the first quarter valued at about $423,000. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its holdings in Telephone and Data Systems by 1.4% in the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 86,276 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $1,382,000 after purchasing an additional 1,154 shares during the last quarter. VitalStone Financial LLC bought a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems in the first quarter valued at about $340,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in Telephone and Data Systems by 104.6% in the first quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 25,421 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 12,999 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.00% of the company’s stock.

About Telephone and Data Systems

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc, a telecommunications company, provides communications services in the United States. It operates through two segments: UScellular and TDS Telecom. The company offers wireless solutions to consumers, and business and government customers, including a suite of connected Internet of things (IoT) solutions, and software applications for monitor and control, business automation/operations, communication, fleet and asset management, smart water solutions, private cellular networks and custom, and end-to-end IoT solutions; wireless priority services and quality priority and preemption options; smartphones and other handsets, tablets, wearables, mobile hotspots, fixed wireless home internet, and IoT devices; and accessories, such as cases, screen protectors, chargers, and memory cards, as well as consumer electronics, including audio, home automation and networking products.