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

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

United States Cellular Price Performance

Shares of United States Cellular stock traded down $0.68 during trading on Friday, reaching $62.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 68,165 shares, compared to its average volume of 69,382. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $62.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $57.83. United States Cellular has a 12-month low of $32.01 and a 12-month high of $68.31. The company has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a P/E ratio of -174.05 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

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

Institutional Trading of United States Cellular

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of USM. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of United States Cellular by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 4,148 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its position in shares of United States Cellular by 12.4% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 7,238 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United States Cellular by 8.7% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,475 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $696,000 after acquiring an additional 994 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC increased its position 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 worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 994 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.03% of the company’s stock.

About United States Cellular

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.