Gabelli Funds LLC Purchases 61,500 Shares of United States Cellular Co. (NYSE:USM)

Gabelli Funds LLC raised its position in shares of United States Cellular Co. (NYSE:USM) by 9.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 730,000 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 61,500 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC owned approximately 0.86% of United States Cellular worth $12,870,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of United States Cellular by 32.9% in the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,736 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 925 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United States Cellular by 64.4% during the second quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,960 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC increased its holdings in shares of United States Cellular by 57.9% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 17,968 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 6,591 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of United States Cellular by 206.5% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,851 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 1,247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EA Series Trust acquired a new stake in shares of United States Cellular in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,426,000. 16.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on USM shares. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of United States Cellular in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of United States Cellular from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $16.00 to $38.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of United States Cellular from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $52.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of United States Cellular from $27.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, September 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of United States Cellular from $29.00 to $53.00 in a report on Friday, August 18th.

United States Cellular Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of USM stock opened at $45.01 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $41.98 and its 200-day moving average is $29.90. The stock has a market cap of $3.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 346.26 and a beta of 0.55. United States Cellular Co. has a 52-week low of $13.79 and a 52-week high of $46.86.

United States Cellular (NYSE:USM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 3rd. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.20. United States Cellular had a net margin of 0.33% and a return on equity of 0.28%. The business had revenue of $963.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.15) EPS. United States Cellular’s quarterly revenue was down 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that United States Cellular Co. will post 0.45 EPS for the current year.

United States Cellular 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 various essentials, including cases, screen protectors, chargers, and memory cards; and consumer electronics comprising audio, home automation, and networking products.