AT&T Plans to Return $45 Billion to Shareholders Over Next Three Years
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 7h ago
0mins
Should l Buy T?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Shareholder Return Plan: AT&T plans to return $45 billion to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks over the next three years, aimed at boosting investor confidence and improving financial health.
- Debt Load Reduction: Following a nearly 50% dividend cut in 2022, AT&T has reduced its total debt and leverage, enabling a successful return of $12 billion in 2025, further freeing up funds for shareholder returns.
- Stock Price Surge: After announcing the return plan, AT&T's stock price surged 15% in just five days, reflecting market optimism about its future financial health, although current price-to-earnings and price-to-sales ratios are above their five-year averages.
- Investor Considerations: While the 4% dividend yield is attractive, the lack of dividend growth may lead many investors to seek other opportunities with better growth potential, particularly for those focused on growth investments.
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Analyst Views on T
Wall Street analysts forecast T stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for T is 28.27 USD with a low forecast of 20.00 USD and a high forecast of 33.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
15 Analyst Rating
8 Buy
5 Hold
2 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 27.310
Low
20.00
Averages
28.27
High
33.00
Current: 27.310
Low
20.00
Averages
28.27
High
33.00
About T
AT&T Inc. is a holding company. The Company is a provider of telecommunications and technology services globally. The Company’s segments include Communications and Latin America. The Communications segment provides wireless and wireline telecom and broadband services to consumers located in the United States and businesses globally. The business units of the Communication segment include Mobility, Business Wireline, and Consumer Wireline. Mobility provides nationwide wireless service and equipment. Business Wireline provides advanced Ethernet-based fiber services, Internet Protocol (IP) Voice and managed professional services, as well as legacy voice and data services and related equipment, to business customers. Consumer Wireline provides broadband services, including fiber connections. Consumer Wireline provides legacy telephony voice communication services. The Latin America segment provides wireless services and equipment in Mexico.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
AT&T Plans to Return $45 Billion to Shareholders Over Next Three Years
- Shareholder Return Plan: AT&T plans to return $45 billion to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks over the next three years, aimed at boosting investor confidence and improving financial health.
- Debt Load Reduction: Following a nearly 50% dividend cut in 2022, AT&T has reduced its total debt and leverage, enabling a successful return of $12 billion in 2025, further freeing up funds for shareholder returns.
- Stock Price Surge: After announcing the return plan, AT&T's stock price surged 15% in just five days, reflecting market optimism about its future financial health, although current price-to-earnings and price-to-sales ratios are above their five-year averages.
- Investor Considerations: While the 4% dividend yield is attractive, the lack of dividend growth may lead many investors to seek other opportunities with better growth potential, particularly for those focused on growth investments.
See More
AT&T Plans to Return $45 Billion Post-Dividend Cut
- Dividend Cut Impact: AT&T cut its dividend by nearly 50% in 2022 following the WarnerMedia spinoff, aiming to alleviate a heavy debt burden and set the stage for future shareholder returns.
- Future Return Plans: The company plans to return up to $45 billion in cash to investors between 2026 and 2028, building on the $12 billion returned through dividends and stock buybacks in 2025.
- Financial Improvement: After four years, AT&T has reduced its total debt and leverage, allowing for increased shareholder returns in the coming years, although the board currently has no plans to raise the dividend.
- Investment Attractiveness Analysis: While AT&T's dividend yield stands at 4.09%, the lack of dividend growth diminishes its appeal to dividend investors, and its current price-to-earnings and price-to-sales ratios exceed five-year averages, making it less attractive for value investors.
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- CEO Stock Purchase: CEO Kate Johnson capitalized on the post-earnings sell-off by purchasing 78,685 shares at an average price of $6.35, totaling approximately $500,000, reflecting her confidence in the company's turnaround strategy.
- Financial Outlook: While the fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share exceeded expectations, revenue only met them, with management projecting full-year free cash flow between $1.2 billion and $1.4 billion, including $300 million to $450 million in non-recurring tax refunds.
- Debt Management: Lumen successfully reduced its debt burden by selling its consumer-focused fiber-to-the-home business for $4.8 billion, bringing its debt-to-EBITDA ratio down to 3.8 times, although overall revenue and profit growth remains a critical focus.
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- Safety Features: The device meets the demands of 70% of parents who want smartphones for their children to ensure safety, including emergency calling and real-time location tracking, which further boosts parental trust in the AT&T brand.
- User-Friendly Design: Built in collaboration with Samsung, the amiGO™ Jr. Phone combines hardware expertise with AT&T's technology, offering parents the ability to manage screen time, apps, and settings, ensuring children's safety in the digital world.
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AT&T Plans to Return $45 Billion to Shareholders Over Next Three Years
- Shareholder Return Plan: AT&T plans to return $45 billion to shareholders through dividends and stock buybacks over the next three years, aimed at boosting investor confidence and improving financial health.
- Debt Load Reduction: Following a nearly 50% dividend cut in 2022, AT&T has reduced its total debt and leverage, enabling a successful return of $12 billion in 2025, further freeing up funds for shareholder returns.
- Stock Price Surge: After announcing the return plan, AT&T's stock price surged 15% in just five days, reflecting market optimism about its future financial health, although current price-to-earnings and price-to-sales ratios are above their five-year averages.
- Investor Considerations: While the 4% dividend yield is attractive, the lack of dividend growth may lead many investors to seek other opportunities with better growth potential, particularly for those focused on growth investments.
See More
AT&T Plans to Return $45 Billion Post-Dividend Cut
- Dividend Cut Impact: AT&T cut its dividend by nearly 50% in 2022 following the WarnerMedia spinoff, aiming to alleviate a heavy debt burden and set the stage for future shareholder returns.
- Future Return Plans: The company plans to return up to $45 billion in cash to investors between 2026 and 2028, building on the $12 billion returned through dividends and stock buybacks in 2025.
- Financial Improvement: After four years, AT&T has reduced its total debt and leverage, allowing for increased shareholder returns in the coming years, although the board currently has no plans to raise the dividend.
- Investment Attractiveness Analysis: While AT&T's dividend yield stands at 4.09%, the lack of dividend growth diminishes its appeal to dividend investors, and its current price-to-earnings and price-to-sales ratios exceed five-year averages, making it less attractive for value investors.
See More
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- Stock Recovery: Lumen Technologies' shares surged 29.2% on Friday, marking a significant rebound from the sharp decline following Tuesday's earnings report, indicating renewed market confidence in the company's future prospects.
- CEO Stock Purchase: CEO Kate Johnson capitalized on the post-earnings sell-off by purchasing 78,685 shares at an average price of $6.35, totaling approximately $500,000, reflecting her confidence in the company's turnaround strategy.
- Financial Outlook: While the fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share exceeded expectations, revenue only met them, with management projecting full-year free cash flow between $1.2 billion and $1.4 billion, including $300 million to $450 million in non-recurring tax refunds.
- Debt Management: Lumen successfully reduced its debt burden by selling its consumer-focused fiber-to-the-home business for $4.8 billion, bringing its debt-to-EBITDA ratio down to 3.8 times, although overall revenue and profit growth remains a critical focus.
See More
AT&T Launches Kid-Friendly amiGO™ Jr. Phone
- Product Launch: AT&T has introduced the amiGO™ Jr. Phone, a smartphone designed specifically for children, aimed at keeping parents connected and ensuring safety, marking it as the first device of its kind in the market.
- Market Demand: With 40% of AT&T's customers being parents, the company is focused on meeting their needs for safety tools in a complex digital environment, thereby enhancing customer loyalty and expanding market share.
- Technical Collaboration: The phone was developed in partnership with Samsung, leveraging both companies' technological strengths to provide trusted safety features for parents, such as location sharing and Safe Zones, which enhance the product's competitive edge in the market.
- Pricing Strategy: Both the AT&T amiGO™ Jr. Phone and amiGO® Jr. Watch 2 are offered at $2.99 per month with no trade-in required, aimed at attracting new customers and driving sales growth.
See More
AT&T Launches Kid-Friendly Smartphone for Safety and Connectivity
- Market Innovation: The launch of the AT&T amiGO™ Jr. Phone marks the first smartphone designed specifically for children, addressing the needs of 60% of parents who consider smartphones essential for safety, thereby enhancing AT&T's competitive edge in the children's market.
- Safety Features: The device meets the demands of 70% of parents who want smartphones for their children to ensure safety, including emergency calling and real-time location tracking, which further boosts parental trust in the AT&T brand.
- User-Friendly Design: Built in collaboration with Samsung, the amiGO™ Jr. Phone combines hardware expertise with AT&T's technology, offering parents the ability to manage screen time, apps, and settings, ensuring children's safety in the digital world.
- Promotional Strategy: The new product is offered at a price of $2.99 per month, attracting new and existing customers to purchase through the AT&T website, myAT&T app, and retail stores, aiming to expand AT&T's penetration in the family market.
See More
Will SpaceX Compete with AST SpaceMobile to Achieve Its 2026 Launch Goals?
Company Performance: AST Space Mobile has seen a significant increase in its stock, climbing over 240% since 2025, with shares up 24% year-to-date despite some volatility and setbacks in its launch schedule.
Government Contracts: The company was awarded a government contract for its scalable homeland defense services, which is expected to bolster its operations and credibility in the space communications sector.
Upcoming Launches: AST Space Mobile is preparing for the launch of its Bluebird 7 satellite, which is set to transport its next-generation technology into low Earth orbit, aiming to meet ambitious launch targets by the end of 2026.
Market Position and Challenges: Despite its growth, analysts express skepticism about AST's ability to meet its launch goals, with concerns about its current pace and the potential for missing targets, which could impact its long-term market position against competitors like SpaceX.
See More
