TELEPHONE & DATA SYSTEMS INC /DE/ · Telecom

TDS

Low riskNext report: Around Nov 6 (est.)

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The short version

A profitable company with steady sales. Institutions are adding.

Going well

Profitable
Brings in more cash than it spends
Little debt

Money moves

No insider buying or selling in the last 30 days
Institutions added 5.7% to their holdings in the quarter ending June 2026 (178 bought, 166 sold)
Held by Dan Loeb (Third Point)

Facts from SEC filings, not a recommendation.

What the price means

Price as of Oct 26

$35.68+0.9% that day

Company value: $4.1B; Share price times all shares
Price vs profit (P/E): 11.9x; You pay about $12 for each $1 of yearly profit
Price vs sales: 3.3x; Company value is 3.3 times a year of sales
Dividend yield: 0.4%; Yearly dividend as a share of today's price
Cash vs value: 53%; A big cushion: cash is a large part of what the company is worth
Debt vs value: 20%; Debt as a share of company value

From TDS's last IEX trade and its SEC filings (profits and sales over the last four quarters). A starting point for research, not a verdict.

The business over time

Last 12 quarters, from SEC filings

Sales, Jun '26

$309.3M+3.6% vs a year earlier

Sep '23Tap a barJun '26

Last 12 months: $1.3B, up 3.8% from the 12 months before. Over 5 years, sales shrank about 25% a year.

What the price assumes

Your guesses, our math

Move the sliders to your own view of TDS. Starting points are the company's recent numbers.

Sales growth+4% a yearRecently: +3.8% a yearProfit margin35%Last 12 months: 35.3%P/E at the end12xToday: 11.9x. Many steady companies trade at 12x to 25xShare count change+1% a yearBelow zero means buybacks; above zero means new shares (dilution)

Sales in 5 years$1.5B

Profit in 5 years$536M

Price these guesses point to$52.59+47% vs $35.68 todayAbout +8.1% a year, before dividends

What today's price needs: with a 35% margin and a 12x P/E, sales could shrink about 3.8% a year for 5 years and still match today's price.

Simple math on your guesses, not a forecast or a price target. Real results depend on many things these sliders leave out.

Price

Price chart by TradingView.

Business quality

The checklist Warren Buffett-style investors use. Annual numbers for 2025.

2/6Weak

MissReturn on equity 15%+Earns a lot on the money owners have in the business.0.4%
PassDebt under half of equityNot relying on borrowed money.0.17x equity
MissNet margin 10%+Keeps at least 10 cents of profit from each dollar of sales.1.6%
MissProfitable every yearSteady profits, not one good year.8 of 10 years
PassFree cash flow positiveBrings in more cash than it spends to run and grow.$199.4M
MissShare count not growingNot diluting owners. Falling means buybacks.+4.0% in 3 years

Revenue: $1.2B; -5.3% vs prior year
5-year growth: -25.1%/yr; revenue, per year
Total debt: $823.4M; 0.17x equity
Current ratio: 2.10x; short-term assets / bills due

From annual reports filed with the SEC. Not in this company's SEC data, so not scored: gross margin 40%+. A checklist is a starting point for research, not a verdict.