AT&T Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:T)

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock investors purchased 80,293 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 41% compared to the typical daily volume of 56,817 call options.

AT&T Price Performance

Shares of T opened at $26.01 on Wednesday. AT&T has a twelve month low of $21.05 and a twelve month high of $29.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $28.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $185.98 billion, a PE ratio of 14.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

AT&T (NYSE:T) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The technology company reported $0.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.01. AT&T had a return on equity of 13.36% and a net margin of 10.29%.The company had revenue of $30.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that AT&T will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

AT&T Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.2775 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $1.11 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.3%. AT&T’s payout ratio is 63.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

T has been the topic of several recent research reports. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $33.00 price target (up previously from $31.00) on shares of AT&T in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of AT&T in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. UBS Group set a $33.00 price target on AT&T in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AT&T in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on AT&T from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.65.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AT&T

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AT&T during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Front Row Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of AT&T during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of AT&T during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC raised its position in shares of AT&T by 182.1% during the 1st quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 993 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank raised its position in shares of AT&T by 412.1% during the 2nd quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 973 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 783 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.10% of the company’s stock.

About AT&T

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.