Fact based stock research
Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS)

US8794338298

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Telephone and Data Systems stock research in summary

tdsinc.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 90 (better than 90% compared with investment alternatives), Telephone and Data Systems (Wireless Telecommunication, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Telephone and Data Systems are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 49 (worse than 51% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 81) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 78, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 90, is a strong buy recommendation based on Telephone and Data Systems's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company Telephone and Data Systems exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 49), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 81). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 78) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	49
Growth Rank	81
Safety Rank	78
Combined Rank	90

Country	USA
Industry	Wireless Telecommunication
Index	Artificial Intelligence, Dividends USA, D.J. US Telecom, S&P MIDCAP
Size class	Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

31-Jul-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Telephone and Data Systems

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	95	92	55	49
GROWTH
GROWTH	8	29	63	81
SAFETY
SAFETY	94	88	66	78
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	65	37	25	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	85	76	55	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Mar-2025. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Telephone and Data Systems is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	95	92	55	49
GROWTH
GROWTH	8	29	63	81
SAFETY
SAFETY	94	88	66	78
COMBINED
COMBINED	85	94	81	90

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Telephone and Data Systems the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 49 (worse than 51% compared with alternatives), Telephone and Data Systems shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators above average for Telephone and Data Systems. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 57, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 57% of comparable companies, indicating a good value regarding Telephone and Data Systems's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price to Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 88% of alternatives, and it's also true for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 82. But, compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields are expected to be lower than average; only 31% of all competitors have even lower dividend yields than Telephone and Data Systems (a Dividend Yield Rank of 31). 69% alternative investments in the same business provide a higher dividend yield. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 49, is a hold recommendation based on Telephone and Data Systems's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. The below-average dividend yield may be a good sign, as it could mean the company has more attractive investment opportunities for the generated cash than to pay it out as dividends. A low dividend yield can also indicate a growth phase. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	91	82	67	57
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	38	88	88	88
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	94	88	84	82
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	98	75	26	31
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	95	92	55	49

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Telephone and Data Systems; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 81 (better than 81% compared with alternatives) for 2025, Telephone and Data Systems shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Telephone and Data Systems. Profit Growth has a rank of 92, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits more than 92% of its competitors. This is a good sign for shareholders, which is confirmed by an above-average Stock Returns rank of 95 (above 95% of alternative investments). But Sales Growth has a below the median rank of 19, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 81% of its competitors, and Capital Growth also has a lower rank of 38. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 81, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Because revenues and invested capital are the more solid growth indicators, the positive development on the profit side is less relevant. It may have been caused by cost-cutting, which may be a negative growth indicator. Finally, the above-average stock returns recently are a thing of the past and not a good indicator of future returns. Investors should be confident that the cost-cutting initiative leading to higher profits is to benefit the company's future. If not, there is little growth momentum, and investment is only advisable if the Value Ranks suggest a good investment timing for Telephone and Data Systems. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	28	16	20	19
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	6	4	51	92
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	42	40	47	38
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	45	99	97	95
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	8	29	63	81

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Telephone and Data Systems.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 78 (better than 78% compared with alternatives) for 2025, the company Telephone and Data Systems has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Telephone and Data Systems is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators where two out of three are above average for Telephone and Data Systems.Leverage is at 78, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 78% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 78, meaning that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 78% of its competitors. Liquidity is at 29, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 71% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side regarding debt service. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 78 (better than 78% compared with alternatives), Telephone and Data Systems has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. Low leverage and low refinancing risk mean a safer financing situation. However, low liquidity means that current company cash flows are low in relation to the level of debt. This is a sign of caution in case it is expected for profits to remain low. Investors should compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before deciding. They may also want to investigate why cash flows are expected to be low, making debt service for Telephone and Data Systems more challenging. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	88	86	81	78
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	91	83	71	78
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	28	17	27	29
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	94	88	66	78

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Telephone and Data Systems and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	41	43	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	50	50	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	67	58	29	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	50	32	18	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	65	37	25	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Telephone and Data Systems.
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