Latest news with #AT&T
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Key Factors That Make AT&T (T) a Top Pick for 2025
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is one of the Best Stocks to Buy for Dividends. Ken Wolter / In recent years, the company has moved away from non-core businesses such as DirecTV and Time Warner, refocusing on its core operations in wireless and fiber connectivity. This renewed focus allows the company to better meet growing customer expectations for faster and more dependable service. As a result, profit margins have improved, cash flow has shown consistent growth, and the company has reduced its debt by $45 billion since John Stankey became CEO in July 2020. Secondly, AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) typically competes in a limited field, mainly with Verizon and T-Mobile in wireless, and smaller regional players in cable. With few rivals able to match its scale, the company benefits from long-term stability. Its continued investment in fiber strengthens this advantage. As telecom remains essential to daily life, AT&T is well-positioned for lasting success through 2030 and beyond. In addition, AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) maintains a solid cash position, providing enough support for its dividend payments. Over the past twelve months, the company generated $40.2 billion in operating cash flow and $14.4 billion in levered free cash flow. Although investors may hope for higher free cash flow to cover capital spending, reduce debt, or raise dividends, the current levels are sufficient to maintain the company's existing dividend. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) currently offers a quarterly dividend of $0.2775 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.98%, as of June 25. While we acknowledge the potential of T as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure. None. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Key Factors That Make AT&T (T) a Top Pick for 2025
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is one of the Best Stocks to Buy for Dividends. Ken Wolter / In recent years, the company has moved away from non-core businesses such as DirecTV and Time Warner, refocusing on its core operations in wireless and fiber connectivity. This renewed focus allows the company to better meet growing customer expectations for faster and more dependable service. As a result, profit margins have improved, cash flow has shown consistent growth, and the company has reduced its debt by $45 billion since John Stankey became CEO in July 2020. Secondly, AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) typically competes in a limited field, mainly with Verizon and T-Mobile in wireless, and smaller regional players in cable. With few rivals able to match its scale, the company benefits from long-term stability. Its continued investment in fiber strengthens this advantage. As telecom remains essential to daily life, AT&T is well-positioned for lasting success through 2030 and beyond. In addition, AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) maintains a solid cash position, providing enough support for its dividend payments. Over the past twelve months, the company generated $40.2 billion in operating cash flow and $14.4 billion in levered free cash flow. Although investors may hope for higher free cash flow to cover capital spending, reduce debt, or raise dividends, the current levels are sufficient to maintain the company's existing dividend. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) currently offers a quarterly dividend of $0.2775 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.98%, as of June 25. While we acknowledge the potential of T as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure. None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AT&T (NYSE:T) Declares Dividends on Preferred and Common Stocks for August 2025
AT&T recently declared quarterly dividends for both its preferred and common stocks, underscoring its commitment to shareholder returns. Over the past month, AT&T's stock moved up by 2%, closely aligning with the broader market's 2% increase. While the dividend announcements may have reinforced investor confidence in the company's stability, the performance was generally in step with market trends. The ongoing antitrust lawsuit mentioning AT&T has not drastically deterred its market performance. Additionally, the company's collaborations in enhancing public safety with technology partnerships have bolstered its innovative image, likely supporting its consistent stock movement. AT&T has 3 weaknesses we think you should know about. Uncover the next big thing with financially sound penny stocks that balance risk and reward. AT&T's recent dividend announcements alongside technological collaborations may strengthen investor confidence, contributing to a robust narrative around 5G and fiber investments. Over the past five years, AT&T's total shareholder return, including both share price appreciation and dividends, was 70.36%, reflecting a steady commitment to enhancing shareholder value. In contrast, its recent yearly performance outpaced the US Telecom industry, which saw a 25.5% increase, showcasing that AT&T is keeping pace with, if not exceeding, broader industry trends. The ongoing antitrust lawsuit's minimal impact on share price suggests an underlying resilience that aligns with AT&T's growth strategies. However, the regulatory and competitive pressures remain significant hurdles. These factors could potentially influence revenue and earnings forecasts, especially as AT&T navigates its transition to fiber infrastructure, which aims to bolster net margins through cost reductions. The maintenance of a US$40 billion shareholder return plan, combined with a US$10 billion stock repurchase program, further underscores the firm's focus on earnings-per-share growth. With AT&T's current share price of US$27.5, the market attention shifts to the consensus analyst price target of US$29.30. This price target suggests a moderate upside potential, while the most bullish analyst forecasts envision a 12.6% increase in share value to US$31.46. As AT&T continues to execute its strategic initiatives, the alignment of its long-term investments with analyst expectations remains crucial in navigating market dynamics and investor sentiment. Gain insights into AT&T's future direction by reviewing our growth report. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Companies discussed in this article include NYSE:T. This article was originally published by Simply Wall St. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@
The Verge
16 hours ago
- Business
- The Verge
Trump's ‘big beautiful bill' could mean slower Wi-Fi for you
The Senate version of the budget reconciliation bill, backed by President Donald Trump, removes protections for unlicensed spectrum that broadens the capacity of the 6GHz Wi-Fi band. This could result in slower Wi-Fi speeds. Under the bill, which may be voted on at the end of this week, the FCC would sell off some of that spectrum to mobile carriers such as AT&T, which could use it to improve the speed of their mobile data. The bill includes a provision requiring the FCC to auction 800MHz of spectrum, including bands allocated by the FCC in 2020 for unlicensed use. The version of the bill that passed the House excluded the band of frequencies between 5.925 gigahertz and 7.125 gigahertz, which includes 6GHz; however, there's no such exclusion in the Senate version. The FCC could be 'forced to sell off as much as half' of the unlicensed spectrum currently in the 6GHz band, according to Public Knowledge. Senator Cruz, chair of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, says this new spectrum auction will help prepare carriers for the next 'wireless leap.' However, as recently as this month, AT&T stated that it has 'no pressing need' for additional spectrum. One thing a spectrum auction will do is generate more revenue for the government to offset the tax cuts in the bill. Removing this spectrum from unlicensed use could negatively impact the 6GHz Wi-Fi band, which added a huge swath of capacity to Wi-Fi when former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai made 1,200 megahertz of spectrum available for unlicensed use in 2020, during Trump's first term. The 6GHz band is used by Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 to deliver faster speeds over wider, 1200MHz channels (Wi-Fi 6 uses up to 160MHz-wide channels), increasing the speed and reliability of Wi-Fi, especially with tri-band routers. The 2.4GHz and even 5GHz bands are becoming increasingly congested as we rely more and more on Wi-Fi in our homes and businesses. Devices that use 6GHz benefit from a wider, less congested 'super highway' to travel on, which reduces latency and increases speeds. Devices like newer Apple iPhones, Samsung Galaxy and Pixel devices, as well as newer MacBooks, iPads, and Lenovo ThinkPads, can use 6GHz, as well as Xbox series X and S, and some Samsung and LG TVs. Wi-Fi 6E is also being adopted by smart home devices, as it facilitates faster communication. In a letter to Cruz and the other committee members, urging them to keep the 6GHz band unlicensed, the Wi-Fi Alliance states that the 6GHz band is 'the foundation for Wi-Fi's continued development and growth' as well as playing 'a pivotal role in enabling technologies of the next decade, including artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, augmented and virtual reality.' The letter was signed by Apple, HP, Comcast, Amazon, and Meta, among others. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is in favor of selling off portions of the unlicensed spectrum.
International Business Times
17 hours ago
- Business
- International Business Times
What is XBOW? An AI Tool that is America's 'Best Hacker' Secures $75M in Funding
An unexpected hacker has topped the leaderboard in discovering real-world cyberthreats, beating some of the very talented human reviewers. Its name is XBOW, a new artificial intelligence system designed to explore for vulnerabilities in software, and it just claimed first place on HackerOne, an international bug bounty-based competition in which hackers work to uncover bugs for big companies. It marks the first time that autonomous systems have surpassed all people on the leaderboard. In the past few months alone, XBOW's AI has identified more than 1,000 vulnerabilities. These are not just guesses—companies such as AT&T, Epic Games, Ford, and Disney have verified 132 of these threats and have issued fixes. 330+ more bugs are targeted for resolution, with hundreds more still under review. XBOW is unique in the way it operates; it continuously scans apps and systems like a tireless red team. Instead of being human-driven—requiring scheduled penetration scans—XBOW runs 24x7. It's AI that detects, models, and emulates attacks against live networks—without the need for manual guidance. The result? Faster identification of genuine security issues—including those deeply buried within complex codebases. The creators of XBOW say that the shift is crucial since cyberattacks have become more intricate as hackers have also started leveraging AI to initiate large-scale attacks. In this accelerating arms race, being capable of thinking and acting at machine speed is no longer a luxury—it's a requirement. But the trend of automated testing tools also raises issues. The increasing number of bug reports from AI is worrying some developers. They fear that if services such as XBOW are replicated, it could flood security personnel with too many alerts, some of which may be duplicative or not warrant attention. XBOW, however, asserts that its reports are not only valid but frequently crucial and notes that human reports can also come in varying qualities. Whatever the merits of that debate, the impact of the platform is clear. It can execute full-scale security tests in hours—something that previously took days or even weeks. And it's not just for cybersecurity experts or researchers; the product is already being used by banks, tech giants, and other major organizations. To fuel its burgeoning ambitions, XBOW recently secured $75 million in a Series B round of funding. The round was led by Altimeter's Apoorv Agrawal and included follow-on from Sequoia Capital and Nat Friedman. The investment brings the company's total raise to $117 million. With the fresh funds, XBOW plans to grow its engineering team and build out its go-to-market plan.
