NTELOS Holdings Corp.

NTELOS Holdings Corp. (NTLS - Snapshot Report) recently announced fourth-quarter earnings of 15 cents per share, topping the previous year’s 10 cents. The company also declared a quarterly cash dividend of 26 cents per share, which translates into a robust, industry-leading yield of 5.4%.

Company Description

Headquartered in Waynesboro, VA, NTELOS Holdings Corp. is an integrated communications provider. The company provides products and services to customers in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Maryland and North Carolina, including wireless phone service, local and long distance telephone services, IPTV-based video services as well as data services for internet access and wide area networking.

Growth in the Fourth Quarter

The company recently announced fourth-quarter earnings of 15 cents per share, topping the previous year’s 10 cents. Operating revenues for the quarter totaled $140.6 million, up from the year-prior $127.9 million.

NTLS noted that one of the highlights for the quarter was its launching or expansion into 6 markets, which led to 70% of total cell sites being upgraded at year-end.

The company also declared a quarterly cash dividend of 26 cents per share, which translates into a robust, industry-leading yield of 5.4%. The dividend is payable April 13 to stockholders of record on March 19.

Higher Forecasts

Analysts lifted estimates on the strong quarter. The average full-year earnings projection of $1.54 per share was upped from last months $1.52. The most accurate forecast is higher at $1.60.

Estimates for the first quarter edged up a penny to 38 cents per share in just the past week. The most accurate projection of the first quarter is a more bullish 41 cents.

Favorable Industry Comparisons

NTELOS Holdings offers a return on equity (ROE) of 23%, above the industry average of 13%.

The company earnings per share are expected to grow 12% over the next 3 – 5 years, which is in line with the industry average.

NTELOS Holdings has a net profit margin of 9%, compared to the industry average of 7%.