United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of United States Cellular (NYSE:USM - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Wednesday.

USM has been the topic of a number of other reports. Raymond James raised shares of United States Cellular from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $86.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on United States Cellular from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th.

United States Cellular Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:USM traded up $0.03 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $63.74. The stock had a trading volume of 170,497 shares, compared to its average volume of 116,652. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a current ratio of 1.57. 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 $5.48 billion, a PE ratio of -177.05 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $62.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.76.

United States Cellular (NYSE:USM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.26 earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations 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 firm's quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.26 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that United States Cellular will post 0.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of United States Cellular

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in United States Cellular by 28.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 143,021 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $7,816,000 after acquiring an additional 31,934 shares during the last quarter. Mariner Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United States Cellular during the 4th quarter worth about $1,944,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in United States Cellular by 34.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 52,688 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $2,879,000 after buying an additional 13,467 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of United States Cellular by 262.8% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 17,275 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $1,083,000 after acquiring an additional 12,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of United States Cellular by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 106,343 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $5,812,000 after acquiring an additional 12,219 shares during 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.