StockNews.com Downgrades United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) to Sell

United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. Raymond James raised United States Cellular from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $86.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on United States Cellular from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th.

United States Cellular Price Performance

Shares of USM opened at $62.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.39. United States Cellular has a 1-year low of $32.01 and a 1-year high of $68.31. The stock has a market cap of $5.39 billion, a PE ratio of -174.05 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $62.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.86.

United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $922.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $940.40 million. United States Cellular had a positive return on equity of 1.55% and a negative net margin of 0.79%. The business’s revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.26 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United States Cellular will post 0.57 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Cellular

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in United States Cellular by 6.3% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 4,148 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of United States Cellular by 0.7% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 36,029 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $1,969,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning raised its stake in shares of United States Cellular by 12.4% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 7,238 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in United States Cellular by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,475 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $696,000 after buying an additional 994 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC increased its stake in United States Cellular by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. Innealta Capital LLC now owns 5,329 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 994 shares during the period. 18.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United States Cellular Company Profile

United States Cellular Corporation provides wireless telecommunications services in the United States. The company offers wireless services, including voice, messaging, and data services. It also provides wireless devices, such as handsets, tablets, mobile hotspots, home phones, and routers, as well as wireless essentials, including cases, screen protectors, chargers, and memory cards; and consumer electronics comprising audio, home automation, and networking products.