Topic: Growth Stocks

AT&T INC. $34 – New York symbol T

AT&T INC. $34 (New York symbol T; Conservative Growth and Income Portfolios, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 5.3 billion; Market cap: $180.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Dividend yield: 5.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.att.com) is the largest wireless service provider in the U.S., with 109.5 million subscribers.

AT&T continues to profit as its customers upgrade to smartphones, which generate higher revenue than cellphones. About 75% of AT&T’s users on long-term contracts now use smartphones, and it feels this could rise to 90% in the next few years.

The company is also profiting from rising demand for its U-verse package, which uses high-speed fibre optic technology to deliver phone, Internet and TV services. It now has over 10 million U-verse subscribers, up 3.1% from 9.7 million on September 30, 2013.

In the third quarter of 2013, AT&T’s revenue rose 2.2%, to $32.2 billion from $31.5 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share gained 6.5%, to $0.66 from $0.62.

The stock trades at 13.8 times AT&T’s likely 2013 earnings of $2.47 a share. The $1.80 dividend yields 5.3%.

AT&T is a buy.

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