AT&T Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:T)
by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets DailyAT&T Inc. (NYSE:T – Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors bought 96,530 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 54% compared to the average volume of 62,614 call options.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages have issued reports on T. Loop Capital set a $29.00 price target on shares of AT&T in a report on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on AT&T from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on AT&T from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on AT&T from $31.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of AT&T in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, AT&T presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $30.74.
Read Our Latest Report on AT&T
Institutional Investors Weigh In On AT&T
Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of AT&T by 26.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 48,579 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,106,000 after buying an additional 10,188 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in AT&T during the second quarter valued at $712,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC raised its stake in AT&T by 2.4% during the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 42,241 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,222,000 after buying an additional 971 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. boosted its holdings in AT&T by 7.0% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 1,034,621 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,942,000 after acquiring an additional 67,474 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BCS Private Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AT&T in the second quarter worth $833,000. Institutional investors own 57.10% of the company’s stock.
More AT&T News
Here are the key news stories impacting AT&T this week:
- Positive Sentiment: AT&T announced a five‑year partnership with Fanatics to embed AT&T perks into the Fanatics ONE loyalty program and gain official partner status at Fanatics Fest NYC — a move aimed at increasing customer engagement and stickiness for wireless/broadband bundles. AT&T Fanatics Alliance Targets Sports Fans To Support Stickier Bundles
- Positive Sentiment: AT&T was named 2026 US Company of the Year for public safety connectivity and is advancing a multi‑year restructuring (business segmentation, operational changes, HQ move to Plano) — initiatives that could improve margins, reduce complexity and support longer‑term cash flow. AT&T’s Public Safety Award And Restructuring Shape Future Connectivity Story
- Positive Sentiment: Market commentary is flagging AT&T as a defensive, income option (“getting paid to wait”) — the company offers ~4% yield with a modest payout ratio and solid free cash flow guidance, which supports its appeal to income‑focused investors in volatile markets. (Article summary: Market roundup on defensive names.)
- Neutral Sentiment: A comparative analysis of telecom dividends notes AT&T is rebuilding its balance sheet faster than some peers, making the dividend story more nuanced; this discussion helps frame long‑term safety but is unlikely to move shares near term. Verizon vs. AT&T: One Telecom Dividend Is on Shaky Ground
- Neutral Sentiment: Technology/competition risk: commentary on SpaceX’s Starlink frames the service as either a partner or a potential competitor to traditional carriers — a strategic uncertainty investors are watching but not yet a direct earnings threat. SpaceX Just Gave Bad News to AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile Investors
- Negative Sentiment: Analysts: BNP Paribas downgraded AT&T to Neutral (from Outperform) with a $28 price target, which increases near‑term selling pressure among institutional holders; note Scotiabank has a higher PT ($31.50), so analyst views remain mixed. BNP Paribas Downgrades AT&T (T) to Neutral as Scotiabank Raises Price Target Ahead of Q1
- Negative Sentiment: Sector/market flow: short‑term selling in defensive telecom stocks tied to a drop in oil and hopes of a U.S.–Iran ceasefire prompted rotation into higher‑beta names; several market stories cite this rotation as a primary reason for AT&T’s recent dip. Why AT&T Shares Are Falling Wednesday AT&T (T) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know
AT&T Stock Down 1.9%
T traded down $0.52 on Thursday, hitting $26.83. The company had a trading volume of 41,286,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 45,081,809. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $26.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $187.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.34. AT&T has a 52-week low of $22.95 and a 52-week high of $29.79.
AT&T (NYSE:T – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $33.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.91 billion. AT&T had a return on equity of 12.33% and a net margin of 17.47%.The business’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. AT&T has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that AT&T will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.
AT&T Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.2775 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $1.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. AT&T’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.39%.
AT&T Company Profile
AT&T Inc is a global telecommunications company that provides a broad range of communications and digital entertainment services. Its core activities include consumer and business wireless services, broadband and fiber internet, and network infrastructure. The company operates branded wireless services through AT&T Mobility and deploys fixed-line and fiber networks to deliver high-speed internet and related home services.
AT&T’s product and service portfolio spans mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and device sales, home internet (including fiber-to-the-home where available), and managed connectivity solutions for enterprise customers.