For the quarter ended March 2025, Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) reported revenue of $1.15 billion, down 8.6% over the same period last year. EPS came in at -$0.09, compared to $0.10 in the year-ago quarter.
The reported revenue represents a surprise of -3.24% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.19 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being -$0.02, the EPS surprise was -350.00%.
While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.
As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.
Here is how TDS performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
- US Cellular Postpaid ARPU: $52.06 versus $52.37 estimated by two analysts on average.
- US Cellular Retail Connections Prepaid - Net additions (losses): -17 thousand versus -13.5 thousand estimated by two analysts on average.
- US Cellular Postpaid Churn rate: 1.2% compared to the 1.2% average estimate based on two analysts.
- US Cellular Retail Connections Postpaid - Total at end of period: 3.95 million compared to the 3.95 million average estimate based on two analysts.
- Operating Revenues- U.S. Cellular: $891 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $923.79 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -6.2%.
- Operating Revenues- TDS Telecom: $257 million versus $262.13 million estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -3.4% change.
- Operating Revenues- TDS Telecom- Service- Wholesale: $39 million compared to the $42.79 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of -11.4% year over year.
- Operating Revenues- TDS Telecom- Service: $256 million versus $261.09 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -3.9% change.
- Operating Revenues- All other: $6 million versus $10.03 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -87% change.
- Operating Revenues- TDS Telecom- Service- Residential - Wireline, Expansion: $34 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $32.20 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +30.8%.
- Operating Revenues- TDS Telecom- Service- Residential - Cable: $64 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $64.63 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -8.6%.
- Operating Revenues- U.S. Cellular- Equipment and product sales: $150 million versus $197.91 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -23.7% change.
View all Key Company Metrics for TDS here>>>
Shares of TDS have returned -0.6% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -0.5% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
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Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (TDS): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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