AT&T (NYSE:T) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Shares of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $25.98 and last traded at $25.96, with a volume of 5341650 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $25.87.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of AT&T from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley upgraded AT&T from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $19.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday, December 16th. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on AT&T from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays upped their target price on AT&T from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of AT&T from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $26.33.

AT&T Trading Down 0.2 %

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $22.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $187.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00.

AT&T (NYSE:T) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The technology company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.06. AT&T had a net margin of 8.95% and a return on equity of 13.97%. Analysts anticipate that AT&T Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

AT&T Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 10th were issued a $0.2775 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.11 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.24%. AT&T’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.50%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AT&T

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AT&T during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AT&T during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in AT&T during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE lifted its holdings in shares of AT&T by 169.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 1,338 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 841 shares during the last quarter. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in shares of AT&T in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.10% of the company’s stock.

AT&T Company Profile

AT&T, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of telecommunications and technology services. It operates through the Communications and Latin America segments. The Communications segment offers wireless, wireline telecom, and broadband services to businesses and consumers located in the US and businesses globally.