Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Acquires Shares of 49,300 Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE:TDS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 49,300 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock, valued at approximately $905,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in TDS. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $109,000. Waldron Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Telephone and Data Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $201,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 104.5% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 19,043 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 9,730 shares during the period. Finally, SteelPeak Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Telephone and Data Systems by 19.3% during the 3rd quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 19,608 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $359,000 after acquiring an additional 3,167 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Telephone and Data Systems from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th.

Telephone and Data Systems Stock Down 3.3 %

Telephone and Data Systems stock opened at $15.55 on Friday. Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. has a twelve month low of $6.43 and a twelve month high of $21.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $15.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.50. The company has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.08 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The Wireless communications provider reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.12) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.28 billion. Telephone and Data Systems had a negative net margin of 9.69% and a positive return on equity of 0.21%. The company’s revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.38) EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. will post -1 EPS for the current year.

Telephone and Data Systems Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This is an increase from Telephone and Data Systems’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.19. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.89%. Telephone and Data Systems’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -15.05%.

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.