AT&T (NYSE:T) Shares Up 0.9% - Should You Buy?

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T - Get Free Report)'s stock price shot up 0.9% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $21.76 and last traded at $21.71. 4,018,139 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 35,531,254 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.51.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

T has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of AT&T to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Citigroup lifted their price target on AT&T from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of AT&T from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of AT&T from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson lifted their target price on AT&T from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $22.69.

AT&T Stock Up 0.9 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $155.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $20.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.89.

AT&T (NYSE:T - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The technology company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57. AT&T had a net margin of 10.41% and a return on equity of 14.16%. The business had revenue of $29.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.63 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AT&T Inc. will post 2.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AT&T Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 10th will be paid a $0.2775 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 10th. This represents a $1.11 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.12%. AT&T's payout ratio is 59.68%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. raised its position in AT&T by 356.5% during the 2nd quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 1,429 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,116 shares during the last quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of AT&T by 107.5% in the second quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC now owns 1,558 shares of the technology company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of AT&T in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of AT&T during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA increased its holdings in AT&T by 176.6% during the second quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA now owns 1,867 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,192 shares during the last quarter. 57.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AT&T Company Profile

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.