T - AT&T Inc.
| Previous Close | 37.91 |
| Open | 37.70 |
| Bid | 37.31 x 3000 |
| Ask | 37.32 x 2900 |
| Day's Range | 37.16 - 37.83 |
| 52 Week Range | 26.80 - 38.75 |
| Volume | 9,064,638 |
| Avg. Volume | 31,050,198 |
| Market Cap | 272.368B |
| Beta (3Y Monthly) | 0.76 |
| PE Ratio (TTM) | 15.72 |
| EPS (TTM) | 2.37 |
| Earnings Date | Oct 23, 2019 |
| Forward Dividend & Yield | 2.04 (5.38%) |
| Ex-Dividend Date | 2019-07-09 |
| 1y Target Est | 35.76 |
- Zacks
Will 5G Deployment Create Room for Investment in Tower REITs?
As the wireless industry rolls out the 5G technology, the latest network deployment is triggering demand for tower leasing which looks encouraging for the days ahead.
- Yahoo Finance
Apple and Disney split, while AT&T gets it from all sides
The media business has always been about frenemies and evolving alliances which makes for tricky navigation even in quiescent times.
- Zacks
Dividend Growth ETFs for Long Term Investors
Dividend growth ETFs hold companies with solid balance sheets and rising earnings.
- Market Realist
Elliott’s Shake-Up Plan for AT&T Could Put Jobs at Risk
Yesterday, AT&T;’s (T) labor union urged the company to reject Elliott Management’s proposal to restructure its business.
- Bloomberg
J.J. Abrams's Bad Robot Better Be Good at AT&T
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Careful, AT&T, those Hollywood lights can be blinding. The industry newbie has just struck an eye-popping deal with sought-after director J.J. Abrams to bring more of his movie magic to the telephone-giant-turned-media-conglomerate. AT&T Inc.’s offer amounted to: Dear J.J., please take this wheelbarrow of money. The deal between AT&T’s new WarnerMedia division and the Bad Robot production company, led by husband-and-wife team Abrams and Katie McGrath, is reported to be worth more than $250 million. That’s after Apple Inc. bid $500 million, according to Hollywood Reporter, though Abrams was said to have turned down that offer in part because he wanted to maintain a large box-office presence. With WarnerMedia, Abrams can create content for both the big screen and online-streaming properties. Bad Robot has previously produced hits such as “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and the shows “Lost” and “Alias.” The outrageous sums that AT&T and reportedly Apple put forth are emblematic of the escalating arms race for content. Entertainment giants – those new to the business, in particular – are trying to secure hit TV series and films for new streaming-video services launching in the coming weeks and months to compete with Netflix. Apple TV+ is set to be released Nov. 1, followed by Disney+ on Nov. 12 and AT&T/WarnerMedia’s HBO Max next spring. (Last year, AT&T acquired WarnerMedia, formerly called Time Warner, the parent of Warner Bros., HBO, CNN, TBS and other networks.) While most of these relatively low-priced subscriptions are years away from being able to turn a profit, the media giants are willing to bear the cost and pay up for the content to attract and keep customers.But WarnerMedia also threw in an unusual perk for Abrams: He gets to own potentially as much as a 50% stake in the projects he creates for the company, according to NBC News. The inclusion of a term like that, combined with the value of the contract, makes the deal look like a rookie move by WarnerMedia and the executive spearheading its streaming strategy, John Stankey, a three-decade veteran of AT&T’s phone business. Either that or desperation. Virtually no other media or tech giant would likely agree to give up those content rights. In fact, Walt Disney Co. is moving to cut back on the profits it shares with showrunners and stars after hit series pass the crucial 100-episode mark and enter into lucrative syndication deals, according to the Los Angeles Times. Disney wants control over that future licensing windfall, preferring to instead divide profits earlier on, when they aren’t quite as big.It’s no wonder that after Disney, Comcast Corp., Viacom Inc., Sony Corp. and Netflix Inc. were all said to have looked at Bad Robot, AT&T and its new media moguls landed the deal. Stankey, known for a brusque management style, has already had a rough start when it comes to gaining the respect of his new media employees and shaping the vision for WarnerMedia. It's part of the reason shareholder Elliott Management Corp. launched an activist campaign at AT&T this week, calling for more operational focus and a clearer strategy. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson recently promoted Stankey to chief operating officer in addition to his role presiding over WarnerMedia specifically.Stankey and Stephenson aren’t the only industry outsiders starstruck by Hollywood and feeling the pressure to pay whatever’s necessary to expand streaming-app libraries and keep viewers from canceling subscriptions. Apple TV+ has reportedly dished out $300 million for the first two seasons of “The Morning Show,” an original series starring big names like Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. Disney+ spent about $15 million on each episode of its “Star Wars” series, “The Mandalorian,” which adds up to the cost of a big-budget film. But AT&T’s leaders are showing their inexperience in the world of content and entertainment, driving away key internal personnel while so eagerly courting Abrams. The company’s post-deal turnover was punctuated by the high-profile exits of HBO’s Richard Plepler and Turner’s David Levy earlier this year.In reporting on the Abrams deal, Bloomberg News also uncovered an interesting detail about what actually happened to Kevin Tsujihara. He’s the former head of Warner Bros. who left in March amid a sex scandal involving an actress with whom he was having an affair and was accused of helping to land film roles. At first it seemed like Tsujihara was going to stay on despite the scandal, and in fact he had even just been promoted by Stephenson. However, Bloomberg reports that Abrams’s wife, McGrath, essentially gave AT&T an ultimatum, saying that’d it be hard for Bad Robot and WarnerMedia to work together if Tsujihara was there. It all makes sense now.As for the deal, Stankey had better hope Bad Robot makes good movies, because it seems none of his industry peers were willing to offer what he did. To contact the author of this story: Tara Lachapelle at tlachapelle@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Beth Williams at bewilliams@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Tara Lachapelle is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the business of entertainment and telecommunications, as well as broader deals. She previously wrote an M&A column for Bloomberg News.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Market Realist
AT&T Stock: Why Is It Falling Today?
AT&T; (T) stock fell about 1% on Thursday. The stock closed the trading day at $38.38. The stock is trading just 0.95% below the 52-week high of $38.75.
- Bloomberg
Apple Has the Cash, But Does It Need a Hollywood Studio?
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Apple Inc. is getting ready to launch its own streaming-video service, Apple TV+, in the coming weeks. Compared to Netflix and other rival offerings, the new app will feature a rather skimpy lineup of viewing choices. That’s reigniting the will-they/won’t-they debate around Apple and the handful of Hollywood studios that look ripe for an acquisition.The tech giant announced this week that Apple TV+ will launch on Nov. 1, beating Walt Disney Co.’s rival product to the market by 11 days. Apple TV+ will cost $4.99 a month, which is $2 less than Disney+, and on the face of it, significantly cheaper than Netflix and AT&T Inc.’s HBO Max, set to debut next spring. What’s more, Apple will let customers have the service free for a year when they purchase an iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV console. Much has been made of Apple TV+ undercutting competitors, but the price was set low to make up for the fact that, unlike rival services, it won’t contain a backlog of content out of the gate. Disney and AT&T both own immense libraries of films and TV shows and can stuff them into their streaming services even as they work to produce new original content exclusively for app subscribers. Remember, Disney owns Marvel, Pixar, “Star Wars,” “The Simpsons,” National Geographic and so on, while AT&T acquired Warner Bros., HBO and Time Warner’s other television networks last year. Apple TV+, on the other hand, will contain just nine originals on Day One and nothing else. Apple’s lack of a library argues for the company to buy a production studio. Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (which also owns the Starz premium channel), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (known as MGM), Sony Pictures and indie studio A24 are all prospects. Even a combined Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp. – two content companies that are in the process of merging – could be an appealing option given their diverse set of assets, including Paramount Pictures, MTV, BET, Nickelodeon and Showtime. (Shari Redstone, the billionaire who controls Viacom and CBS, would likely be a willing seller.)(1)It all depends, though, on how Apple CEO Tim Cook sees streaming video fitting into the company’s future. Is the goal to build a bona fide competitor to Netflix, available on anything with a screen? Or is Apple TV+ a loss leader meant to help drive sales of Apple devices? This week’s unveiling seemed to suggest the latter. After all, Apple’s revenue from iPhones decreased by $19 billion in the latest fiscal year, my colleague Shira Ovide noted in her column this week. In 2017, she wrote that Apple should try bundling software – such as video and music subscriptions – with its hardware to help boost sales. Apple is essentially doing just that by giving TV+ as a freebie for buying a new Apple product. “They’re doing it to sell hardware,” Marci Ryvicker, an analyst for Wolfe Research, said in a phone interview. “This isn’t Apple’s core business.”It’s noteworthy that Cook, while on stage Tuesday, compared the Apple TV+ fee to the cost of renting a single movie on demand – not to the price of other streaming subscriptions. That may provide some insight into his thinking. At $5 a month, Apple TV+ is also a long ways from making any money. That’s another reason it looks more like an internet add-on than a stand-alone product intended to take on Netflix, a business running on negative cash flow and junk debt. The cost of going all-in on streaming is steep. Disney, for example, doesn’t think its own $7-a-month app will start turning a profit until 2024, by which point it expects to have at least 60 million global subscribers. Even then, Ebitda for Disney+ may be just $51 million, a paltry 1% profit margin, according to a model by Alan Gould, an analyst for Loop Capital Markets. In 2025, he sees that figure jumping to $2.6 billion, though it still pales in comparison to the roughly $10 billion of Ebitda that Disney’s traditional TV and film businesses generate.Still, some analysts see Apple TV+ topping 100 million subscribers within five years, and it’s already planning to spend billions of dollars on content. It could be that Apple doesn’t know exactly what it wants from Apple TV+ yet. If it turns out to be successful early on, that may be what leads Cook to acquire a studio. Dan Ives, an analyst for Wedbush Securities, made the same bold prediction at the start of the year, and he told me this week that he’s sticking to it.“Right now, they’ve built a house with no furniture,” said Ives, who interprets Apple’s aggressive pricing strategy as a sign that it’s changed its past thinking and is ready to commit to streaming content in a big way. “It’s hard to envision them being massively successful in streaming without doing a major acquisition.”I agree. The question is, does it plan for Apple TV+ to be massively successful? This week may have signaled “no,” but when it comes to M&A, never say never. (1) Viacom is also said to be the front-runner to buy a stake in Miramax films.To contact the author of this story: Tara Lachapelle at tlachapelle@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Beth Williams at bewilliams@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Tara Lachapelle is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering the business of entertainment and telecommunications, as well as broader deals. She previously wrote an M&A column for Bloomberg News.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Zacks
Buy $1 Trillion Apple (AAPL) Stock on iPhone 11 & Streaming TV Potential?
Apple (AAPL) is once again a $1 trillion company, joining Microsoft (MSFT), with shares up 8% in the past month. So is now the time to buy Apple stock after it showed off its new iPhone 11s and its streaming TV service, Apple TV+?
- Zacks
AT&T (T) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know
AT&T (T) closed at $38.38 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.93% move from the prior day.
- Market Realist
AT&T: Weak Q3 Results Could Weigh on Its Stock
AT&T; is scheduled to announce its third-quarter earnings results on October 23. Analysts expect it to disappoint investors with its sales performance.
- Bloomberg
WarnerMedia Enlists Filmmaker J.J. Abrams in Its War on Netflix
(Bloomberg) -- AT&T Inc.’s WarnerMedia reached a production deal with superstar director J.J. Abrams, locking in one of Hollywood’s hottest filmmakers as it prepares to do battle with streaming services from Netflix Inc. and Walt Disney Co.Abrams, whose film credits include recent versions of “Star Wars” and “Star Trek,” will create original TV shows, movies and games for the studio through 2024, according to a statement Thursday. Financial terms weren’t revealed.The signing highlights the increasingly fierce competition for talent among Hollywood’s biggest media companies, including newer players like Netflix and Amazon.com Inc. Last year, WarnerMedia signed Greg Berlanti, producer of shows like “Riverdale” and “The Flash,” with a contract topping $300 million.The New York Times said in June that Abrams was likely to get a $500 million deal. But the contract was ultimately worth closer to $250 million, the Hollywood Reporter said on Thursday.The WarnerMedia pact builds on a TV relationship with Warner Bros. that began in 2006. But Abrams’s production company, Bad Robot, will honor its existing obligations to Paramount Pictures.Talent BattleOver the past couple years, Netflix has managed to cinch deals with top TV producers including Ryan Murphy and Shonda Rhimes. That’s given leverage to big-name filmmakers and showrunners, especially as studios need more content than ever.Hollywood’s legacy companies are pushing into streaming to survive in an age when traditional pay-TV customers are canceling service for cheaper online alternatives. WarnerMedia, Disney and Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal all offer or plan to offer paid streaming services.Abrams has directed some of Hollywood’s highest-profile films, including “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which took in $2.07 billion in worldwide ticket sales. His next “Star Wars” movie, “The Rise of Skywalker,” is due in theaters on Dec. 20.To contact the reporter on this story: Lucas Shaw in Los Angeles at lshaw31@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Market Realist
AT&T’s Latest Investor Update: Here’s What to Know
AT&T; is focused on executing its strategy to create more value from WarnerMedia, the telecom giant stated in an investor update on September 11.
- Zacks
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Apple, Exxon, AT&T, Cardinal and ANSYS
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Apple, Exxon, AT&T, Cardinal and ANSYS
- Zacks
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Apple, Netflix, Disney, Amazon and AT&T
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Apple, Netflix, Disney, Amazon and AT&T
- Market Realist
Should AT&T Be on Your Shopping List in September?
On Monday, Paul Singer's Elliott Management revealed a $3.2 billion stake in AT&T; stock. Singer is a billionaire activist investor.
- Business Wire
AT&T Provides Update to Shareholders
John Stephens, chief financial officer of AT&T Inc. , spoke today at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications & Entertainment conference in Los Angeles.
- Zacks
What in the WORLD is going on?
John Blank joins us to discuss possible solutions for the current trade war and what we can expect moving forward in the current environment.
- Zacks
Apple's Aggressive Entrance Into The Subscription Market
Reliable reoccurring revenue is the dream for any firm today.
- Market Realist
AT&T’s Time Warner Deal: Is Its Promise Faltering?
When AT&T; acquired Time Warner, it said that the move would boost its traditional pay-TV and wireless businesses. AT&T; hasn't been keeping its promise.
- Market Realist
AT&T Stock: Will Elliott’s Stake Keep Providing a Boost?
AT&T; (T) stock closed in the green for the ninth consecutive day on Tuesday. Investors celebrated Elliott Management’s involvement in the company.
- Zacks
Avnet & Trusted Objects to Offer Comprehensive IoT Solutions
Avnet (AVT) partners with Trusted Objects to ensure faster time to market, cost reduction and better security for developers seeking to secure IoT deployments in cloud, middleware and on-device.
- Investing.com
Stocks - U.S. Futures Flat as China Pressures U.S. Farmers
Investing.com - U.S. futures were mostly flat on Wednesday as China disappointed hopes of major exemptions from tariffs for U.S. agricultural exporters and President Donald Trump renewed his attack on the Federal Reserve.
Reuters VideosAs Apple enters, AT&T could lose in streaming wars
Gerber Kawasaki CEO Ross Gerber tells Reuters' Fred Katayama that while Apple's new streaming TV service will lose money, it'll help push upgrades of its hardware. He explains why he thinks AT&T may become the loser in the streaming wars.
