StockNews.com Upgrades United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) to "Hold"

United States Cellular (NYSE:USM - Get Free Report) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Tuesday.

USM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target 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. Raymond James raised shares of United States Cellular from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $86.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, November 7th.

United States Cellular Stock Performance

NYSE USM traded down $1.02 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $63.03. The company had a trading volume of 212,639 shares, compared to its average volume of 118,259. United States Cellular has a fifty-two week low of $32.01 and a fifty-two week high of $68.31. The firm has a market cap of $5.42 billion, a P/E ratio of -175.09 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.46.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United States Cellular

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of USM. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of United States Cellular by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 4,148 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of United States Cellular by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 36,029 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $1,969,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its stake in United States Cellular by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 7,238 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $396,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC raised its holdings in United States Cellular by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. Innealta Capital LLC now owns 5,329 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 994 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in United States Cellular by 10.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 24,636 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $1,345,000 after buying an additional 2,405 shares in the last quarter. 18.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.