United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Friday morning.

USM has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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 upgraded United States Cellular from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $86.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 7th.

United States Cellular Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE USM opened at $62.66 on Friday. 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 $5.39 billion, a PE ratio of -174.05 and a beta of 0.48. United States Cellular has a 12-month low of $32.01 and a 12-month high of $68.31. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $57.86.

United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 1st. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $922.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $940.40 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.26 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that United States Cellular will post 0.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United States Cellular

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of USM. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of United States Cellular by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 4,148 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its stake in shares of United States Cellular by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 7,238 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of United States Cellular by 8.7% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,475 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 994 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of United States Cellular by 22.9% in the 3rd quarter. Innealta Capital LLC now owns 5,329 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 994 shares in 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.