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

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Investors bought 86,584 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 44% compared to the average volume of 60,173 call options.

AT&T Price Performance

Shares of AT&T stock traded down $0.77 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $22.86. The stock had a trading volume of 48,003,031 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,571,355. The stock's 50 day moving average is $22.50 and its 200 day moving average is $20.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $163.99 billion, a PE ratio of 18.76, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.59. AT&T has a twelve month low of $15.94 and a twelve month high of $24.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

AT&T (NYSE:T - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The technology company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.03. AT&T had a net margin of 7.42% and a return on equity of 13.97%. The business had revenue of $30.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that AT&T will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AT&T Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th will be paid a $0.2775 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $1.11 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.86%. AT&T's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 90.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on T. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on AT&T from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley raised AT&T from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $19.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on AT&T from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on AT&T from $19.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded AT&T to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $25.18.

Institutional Trading of AT&T

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Chesapeake Wealth Management lifted its holdings in AT&T by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 24,304 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $535,000 after purchasing an additional 460 shares during the last quarter. Socha Financial Group LLC increased its position in AT&T by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Socha Financial Group LLC now owns 18,847 shares of the technology company's stock worth $415,000 after buying an additional 461 shares during the period. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in AT&T by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 34,468 shares of the technology company's stock worth $759,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the period. Essex Savings Bank increased its position in shares of AT&T by 2.3% in the third quarter. Essex Savings Bank now owns 21,636 shares of the technology company's stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. Finally, Hayek Kallen Investment Management increased its position in shares of AT&T by 0.8% in the third quarter. Hayek Kallen Investment Management now owns 60,271 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,326,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.10% of the company's stock.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc provides telecommunications and technology services worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Communications and Latin America. The Communications segment offers wireless voice and data communications services; and sells handsets, wireless data cards, wireless computing devices, carrying cases/protective covers, and wireless chargers through its own company-owned stores, agents, and third-party retail stores.