GoalVest Advisory LLC Increases Holdings in AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T)

GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) by 5.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 84,852 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,027 shares during the quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC’s holdings in AT&T were worth $1,493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AT&T in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Pineridge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in AT&T during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in AT&T during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA grew its holdings in AT&T by 35.3% during the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 2,322 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 606 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Western Pacific Wealth Management LP purchased a new position in AT&T during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. 57.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AT&T Price Performance

T traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $18.71. The stock had a trading volume of 34,075,118 shares, compared to its average volume of 36,867,492. The company has a market cap of $134.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a fifty day moving average of $17.42 and a 200 day moving average of $17.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.68. AT&T Inc. has a 1 year low of $13.43 and a 1 year high of $18.73.

AT&T (NYSE:T) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The technology company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $30.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.62 billion. AT&T had a return on equity of 14.63% and a net margin of 11.13%. AT&T’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AT&T Inc. will post 2.24 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AT&T Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 10th were given a $0.2775 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, April 9th. This represents a $1.11 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.93%. AT&T’s payout ratio is currently 59.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas raised AT&T from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of AT&T in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Scotiabank lifted their target price on AT&T from $22.00 to $22.50 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price objective on shares of AT&T in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $21.00 price objective on shares of AT&T in a report on Tuesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $21.54.

AT&T Profile

AT&T Inc provides telecommunications and technology services worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Communications and Latin America. The Communications segment offers wireless voice and data communications services; and sells handsets, wireless data cards, wireless computing devices, carrying cases/protective covers, and wireless chargers through its own company-owned stores, agents, and third-party retail stores.