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AT&T (T) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know

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In the latest trading session, AT&T (T - Free Report) closed at $28.93, marking a +0.98% move from the previous day. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 1.4%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the telecommunications company had lost 4.53% over the past month. This has lagged the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 7.26% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.07% in that time.

T will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release, which is expected to be July 22, 2021. In that report, analysts expect T to post earnings of $0.78 per share. This would mark a year-over-year decline of 6.02%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $42.63 billion, up 4.1% from the year-ago period.

Looking at the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $3.17 per share and revenue of $173.16 billion. These totals would mark changes of -0.31% and +0.82%, respectively, from last year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for T. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.16% higher within the past month. T is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

In terms of valuation, T is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 9.03. This valuation marks a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 46.92.

We can also see that T currently has a PEG ratio of 2.94. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. Wireless National stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 2.24 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Wireless National industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 43, which puts it in the top 17% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.


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