Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Decreases Position in United States Cellular Co. (NYSE:USM)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P decreased its holdings in United States Cellular Co. (NYSE:USM - Free Report) by 8.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 634,072 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock after selling 60,748 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned about 0.74% of United States Cellular worth $34,652,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United States Cellular during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in United States Cellular during the second quarter valued at $115,000. Bailard Inc. purchased a new stake in United States Cellular in the second quarter worth about $207,000. Invesco LLC bought a new position in shares of United States Cellular in the second quarter worth about $214,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in shares of United States Cellular during the 2nd quarter valued at about $218,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 18.03% of the company's stock.

United States Cellular Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:USM traded up $1.10 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $64.93. The stock had a trading volume of 115,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,537. The business's 50 day moving average price is $59.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.28. United States Cellular Co. has a 1 year low of $32.01 and a 1 year high of $68.31. The company has a market cap of $5.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -179.72 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

United States Cellular (NYSE:USM - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.13. United States Cellular had a positive return on equity of 1.55% and a negative net margin of 0.79%. The firm had revenue of $922.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $940.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.26 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that United States Cellular Co. will post 0.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on USM shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of United States Cellular from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com raised United States Cellular from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Raymond James raised United States Cellular from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $86.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 7th.

United States Cellular Company Profile

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.