Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 72,843 Shares of United States Cellular Co. (NYSE:USM)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of United States Cellular Co. (NYSE:USM) by 3.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,299,323 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 72,843 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in United States Cellular were worth $128,349,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of United States Cellular during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United States Cellular in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of United States Cellular in the second quarter valued at approximately $115,000. Clear Street Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of United States Cellular during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $105,000. Finally, Bailard Inc. bought a new stake in United States Cellular during the second quarter worth $207,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.03% of the company’s stock.

United States Cellular Stock Performance

Shares of USM opened at $55.13 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $54.41 and a 200 day moving average of $47.59. The company has a market capitalization of $4.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.28 and a beta of 0.48. United States Cellular Co. has a 12 month low of $32.01 and a 12 month high of $60.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 2nd. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $927.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $924.96 million. United States Cellular had a return on equity of 1.55% and a net margin of 1.88%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.05 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that United States Cellular Co. will post 0.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on USM shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded United States Cellular from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $38.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of United States Cellular from $51.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kevin R. Lowell sold 37,597 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.34, for a total transaction of $1,855,035.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.