TCW Group Inc. Purchases 5,300 Shares of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS)

TCW Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 572,132 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,300 shares during the quarter. TCW Group Inc.’s holdings in Telephone and Data Systems were worth $19,515,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Independence Bank of Kentucky purchased a new position in Telephone and Data Systems in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,395 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 35.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,643 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 692 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems in the 4th quarter worth about $155,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in Telephone and Data Systems by 70.6% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,853 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $166,000 after buying an additional 2,008 shares during the period. 80.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Telephone and Data Systems Trading Down 4.1 %

Shares of TDS opened at $38.00 on Friday. Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $13.92 and a fifty-two week high of $41.21. The business has a 50-day moving average of $35.59 and a 200 day moving average of $29.73. The firm has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.04 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 21st. The Wireless communications provider reported ($0.09) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by $0.23. Telephone and Data Systems had a negative net margin of 10.72% and a positive return on equity of 1.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. will post -0.31 EPS for the current year.

Telephone and Data Systems Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.04 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $0.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.42%. Telephone and Data Systems’s payout ratio is -18.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on TDS shares. Raymond James upgraded shares of Telephone and Data Systems from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Telephone and Data Systems from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th.

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.