Skylands Capital LLC Invests $1.02 Million in United States Cellular Co. (NYSE:USM)

Skylands Capital LLC acquired a new stake in United States Cellular Co. (NYSE:USM) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 16,300 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,022,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of United States Cellular by 28.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 143,021 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $7,816,000 after acquiring an additional 31,934 shares during the last quarter. Mariner Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in United States Cellular during the fourth quarter worth $1,944,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in United States Cellular by 34.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 52,688 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $2,879,000 after acquiring an additional 13,467 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of United States Cellular by 262.8% in the 4th 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 period. Finally, State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of United States Cellular by 13.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 106,343 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $5,812,000 after purchasing an additional 12,219 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on USM shares. Raymond James upgraded United States Cellular from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $86.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of United States Cellular from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday.

United States Cellular Stock Performance

Shares of USM opened at $65.18 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $63.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.19. United States Cellular Co. has a 12 month low of $32.01 and a 12 month high of $69.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a P/E ratio of -181.06 and a beta of 0.47.

United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 21st. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.10) by $0.15. United States Cellular had a negative net margin of 0.79% and a positive return on equity of 1.55%. The company had revenue of $970.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $964.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.23 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that United States Cellular Co. will post 0.57 EPS for the current year.

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.