AT&T Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:T)

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Traders bought 96,530 call options on the company. This is an increase of 54% compared to the typical daily volume of 62,614 call options.

Key Headlines Impacting AT&T

Here are the key news stories impacting AT&T this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call buying — Traders bought ~96,530 AT&T calls (about +54% vs typical volume), signaling short‑term bullish positioning or hedging ahead of catalysts; this can amplify upside if a positive news or earnings surprise appears.
• Positive Sentiment: Fanatics partnership aims to reduce churn and boost customer loyalty — AT&T signed a five‑year deal with Fanatics to provide exclusive sports perks and loyalty integration for AT&T customers, which could help make bundles “stickier” and support wireless/broadband retention. AT&T Fanatics Alliance Targets Sports Fans To Support Stickier Bundles
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend narrative remains mixed — Coverage comparing Verizon and AT&T highlights that AT&T is rebuilding its balance sheet (positive for payout sustainability) but the dividend comparison is nuanced; this keeps income‑focused investors watching fundamentals rather than moving decisively. Verizon vs. AT&T: One Telecom Dividend Is on Shaky Ground
• Negative Sentiment: BNP Paribas downgrade weighs on sentiment — BNP Paribas cut AT&T to Neutral from Outperform and set a $28 target; downgrades can trigger near‑term selling even as some firms (e.g., Scotiabank) maintain higher targets. BNP Paribas Downgrades AT&T (T) to Neutral as Scotiabank Raises Price Target Ahead of Q1
• Negative Sentiment: Sector rotation and macro moves hurting defensive names — Reports show investors rotated out of defensive telecoms into higher‑beta stocks after a crude oil move, pressuring AT&T alongside broader market flows. Why AT&T Shares Are Falling Wednesday
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive risk from SpaceX/Starlink — Coverage highlights Starlink as a potential competitor/partner that could disrupt broadband economics and pressure AT&T’s consumer/wholesale broadband long term. SpaceX Just Gave Bad News to AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile Investors

AT&T Price Performance

T opened at $26.83 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $28.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.19. AT&T has a 1 year low of $22.95 and a 1 year high of $29.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $187.35 billion, a PE ratio of 8.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.34.

AT&T (NYSE:T) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The technology company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.06. AT&T had a return on equity of 12.33% and a net margin of 17.47%.The company had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.91 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. AT&T has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.350 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that AT&T will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AT&T Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.2775 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $1.11 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. AT&T’s payout ratio is 36.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on T shares. Arete Research raised AT&T from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Barclays decreased their price target on AT&T from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on AT&T from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 26th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of AT&T in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of AT&T from $31.00 to $31.50 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.74.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AT&T

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in AT&T in the fourth quarter valued at $2,181,977,000. Amundi boosted its position in AT&T by 67.5% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 42,295,492 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,094,184,000 after purchasing an additional 17,040,328 shares in the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its position in AT&T by 620.8% in the 4th quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 11,891,778 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $295,392,000 after purchasing an additional 10,241,949 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of AT&T by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 332,089,723 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $8,249,109,000 after acquiring an additional 8,314,678 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of AT&T by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 25,155,597 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $624,865,000 after acquiring an additional 8,297,201 shares in the last quarter. 57.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AT&T Company Profile

AT&T Inc is a global telecommunications company that provides a broad range of communications and digital entertainment services. Its core activities include consumer and business wireless services, broadband and fiber internet, and network infrastructure. The company operates branded wireless services through AT&T Mobility and deploys fixed-line and fiber networks to deliver high-speed internet and related home services.

AT&T’s product and service portfolio spans mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and device sales, home internet (including fiber-to-the-home where available), and managed connectivity solutions for enterprise customers.