Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total revenues grew by 1.6% year over year, adjusted EBITDA increased by 2.4%, and adjusted EBITDA margins expanded by 30 basis points [12] - Adjusted EPS was $0.54, consistent with the prior year, while free cash flow was $4.9 billion compared to $4.6 billion a year ago [12][26] - Capital investment decreased to $5.3 billion, down $200 million year over year [13] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Mobility service revenue grew by 2.3% year over year, contributing to EBITDA growth of 2.2% [14] - Consumer Wireline revenues increased by 4.1%, driven by a 16.8% growth in fiber revenue, with Consumer Wireline EBITDA growing over 15% [19] - Business Wireline revenues declined by 7.8% year over year, while EBITDA decreased by about 13% [22] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Over 400,000 postpaid phone net adds were recorded, slightly ahead of the previous year's performance [3] - AT&T Fiber subscribers surpassed 10 million, with the company achieving its highest total broadband net adds in over eight years [5][21] - The convergence rate of fiber customers who also subscribe to mobility services reached 41.5%, up 180 basis points from a year ago [21] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to become the best advanced communications provider in America and lead the industry in retail connectivity service revenue by the end of the decade [7] - Planned acquisitions of spectrum licenses from EchoStar and fiber assets from Lumen are expected to enhance the advanced connectivity portfolio [7][9] - The company is focused on transitioning away from legacy infrastructure and investing in AI-ready connectivity [10] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in achieving full-year financial guidance, with expectations for service revenue growth in the low single-digit range and adjusted EBITDA growth of 3% or better [26] - The competitive environment remains challenging, but the company believes its focus on converged customer relationships will drive profitability and reduce churn [61][65] - Management is optimistic about the impact of upcoming acquisitions on organic growth and profitability [28][90] Other Important Information - The company returned $3.5 billion to shareholders, including nearly $1.5 billion in stock repurchases [23] - The company ended the quarter with over $20 billion in cash, positioning it well for capital returns and pending acquisitions [24] - The company expects to achieve full-year free cash flow in the low to mid-$16 billion range [26] Q&A Session Summary Question: Concerns about fiber expansion and competition - Management expressed confidence in their ability to build effectively and penetrate markets, stating that they have a scalable build engine and can manage capital allocation strategically [31][35] Question: Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) market segmentation - Management highlighted the importance of targeted marketing and operational support to ensure effective segmentation between fiber and fixed wireless offerings [43][46] Question: Impact of competitive activity on wireless margins - Management believes they are well-positioned for a competitive market and will continue to focus on converged customers to drive profitability [60][62] Question: Confidence in Lumen and EchoStar acquisitions - Management reiterated confidence in the strategic value of the Lumen and EchoStar assets, expecting them to enhance organic growth and profitability [81][84]

Core Insights - AT&T's growth strategy focuses on acquiring high-value customers who utilize both wireless and fiber services, resulting in significant subscriber growth in the third quarter [1][8] Financial Performance - Earnings per share exceeded analyst expectations, while revenue slightly fell short; however, the company maintained its full-year guidance despite economic challenges [2] - Mobility service revenue is projected to grow by at least 3% for the year, with consumer fiber revenue expected to increase by a mid-to-high-teens percentage, and free cash flow anticipated to exceed $16 billion [2] Subscriber Growth - AT&T added 405,000 net postpaid phone subscribers in the third quarter, surpassing the 401,000 added in the previous quarter [4] - The company gained 288,000 net fiber subscribers, bringing the total to 10.1 million, and 270,000 subscribers for Internet Air, a 5G-powered service [5] Converged Customers - There are now 4.2 million customers using both AT&T's wireless and fiber services, representing 41.5% of the fiber install base, an increase from 39.7% in the same quarter last year [6] Cash Flow and Future Projections - Free cash flow for the quarter was $4.9 billion, up from $4.6 billion year-over-year, with expectations of at least $16 billion for the full year and projections of over $18 billion in 2026 and $19 billion in 2027 [7]

Core Insights - AT&T reported quarterly earnings of $0.54 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.55 per share, and down from $0.60 per share a year ago, resulting in an earnings surprise of -1.82% [1] - The company posted revenues of $30.71 billion for the quarter ended September 2025, which was below the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.81%, but an increase from $30.21 billion year-over-year [2] - AT&T's stock has increased by approximately 14.4% since the beginning of the year, slightly underperforming the S&P 500's gain of 14.5% [3] Earnings Outlook - The future performance of AT&T's stock will largely depend on management's commentary during the earnings call and the company's earnings outlook [3][4] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $0.45, with expected revenues of $32.56 billion, and for the current fiscal year, the EPS estimate is $2.05 on revenues of $125 billion [7] Estimate Revisions - The trend of estimate revisions for AT&T was mixed prior to the earnings release, leading to a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), indicating expected performance in line with the market [6] - Empirical research indicates a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, which can be tracked by investors [5] Industry Context - The Wireless National industry, to which AT&T belongs, is currently ranked in the bottom 21% of over 250 Zacks industries, suggesting potential challenges ahead [8] - Another company in the same industry, Spok Holdings, is expected to report quarterly earnings of $0.19 per share, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 5.6% [9]

Financial Performance - AT&T reported $49 billion in free cash flow for 3Q25[19], excluding DIRECTV - The company's consolidated service revenue grew by 08% year-over-year (YoY)[16, 21] - Adjusted EBITDA increased by 24% YoY[18, 24] - Adjusted EPS remained at $054, excluding DIRECTV[26] Mobility Segment - AT&T gained 405K postpaid phone subscribers in net adds[11, 29] - Mobility service revenue experienced a growth of 23% YoY[12, 30] - Mobility EBITDA increased by 22% YoY[31, 36] Consumer Wireline (Fiber) - AT&T Fiber gained 288K net adds[14, 40] - AT&T Internet Air added 270K net adds[41] - AT&T Fiber revenue grew by 168% YoY[14, 42, 44] Business Wireline - FirstNet connections increased with 316K additions[53] - Business Wireline revenue decreased by 93% YoY[54] - Business Wireline EBITDA declined by 129% YoY[56, 59] Capital Allocation - AT&T repurchased $15 billion worth of shares in 3Q25[61] - Net debt saw a year-over-year reduction[62] - Capital investment totaled $53 billion[64] 2025 Financial Guidance - The company anticipates low-single-digit growth in consolidated service revenues[69] - Mobility service revenues are projected to grow by 3% or better[69] - Consumer Fiber broadband revenues are expected to increase in the mid-to-high teens[69]

Market Overview - US stock index futures are all down ahead of the market opening, with Dow futures down 0.00%, S&P 500 futures down 0.04%, and Nasdaq futures down 0.27% [1] - European indices show mixed results, with Germany's DAX down 0.21%, UK's FTSE 100 up 0.90%, France's CAC40 down 0.33%, and the Euro Stoxx 50 down 0.21% [2][3] - WTI crude oil increased by 1.96% to $58.36 per barrel, while Brent crude oil rose by 1.83% to $62.44 per barrel [3][4] Market Sentiment - Bank of America warns of five emerging risks that could impact the S&P 500 index, including high valuations, signals of an impending bear market, data gaps, speculative activities, and liquidity shocks [5] - The Federal Reserve is expected to cut rates by 25 basis points next week, but there is significant uncertainty regarding the interest rate path for next year, with predictions ranging from 2.25%-2.50% to 3.75%-4.00% [6] - Goldman Sachs cautions that market estimates for US GDP may be overly optimistic due to data voids during the government shutdown, with GDP estimates for Q2 and Q3 at 3.8% and 3.3% respectively [7] Company News - Netflix (NFLX.US) missed earnings expectations due to a tax dispute in Brazil, reporting Q3 revenue growth of 17% to $11.5 billion but earnings per share of $5.87, below the expected $6.94 [9][10] - Texas Instruments (TXN.US) reported Q3 revenue growth of 14% to $4.74 billion, slightly above market expectations, but provided a weaker outlook for Q4, leading to an 8% pre-market drop [10] - Alliance West Bank (WAL.US) reported a 15.2% increase in Q3 revenue to $938.2 million and a net profit surge of over 27% to $250.2 million, alleviating market concerns [11] - Intuitive Surgical (ISRG.US) saw a 23% increase in Q3 revenue to $2.51 billion, driven by a strong increase in surgical procedures [11] - Barclays (BCS.US) announced a £235 million provision for auto credit but raised its profit guidance for the year, leading to a 4% pre-market increase [12] - AT&T (T.US) reported mixed Q3 results, with revenue of $30.7 billion slightly below expectations, but exceeded new wireless subscriber growth forecasts [12] - Teck Resources (TECK.US) reported a nearly 20% increase in Q3 adjusted core earnings to CAD 1.17 billion, benefiting from rising metal prices [13] - Beyond Meat (BYND.US) experienced a significant stock price increase due to a short squeeze, despite concerns about its fundamental outlook [13]

U.S. telecom AT&T (NYSE:T) beat expectations for key subscriber metrics in the third quarter, which helped investors overlook the in-line profit and revenue miss. Shares of the company were up 1% in premarket NYSE trading on Wednesday. In Q3, the company ...

Core Insights - AT&T reported better-than-expected wireless user growth in Q3, driven by bundled plans and promotions around the new iPhone launch [1] - The company added 405,000 postpaid wireless users, surpassing the forecast of 334,100 [1] - AT&T's strategy includes bundling wireless and fiber broadband services, which has reduced customer churn [1] Financial Performance - Q3 device sales increased by 6.1% due to higher smartphone sales [2] - Operating costs in the mobile segment rose by 3.8% due to increased sales of more expensive devices and higher marketing expenses [2] - The wireline business saw a revenue decline of 7.8% due to falling traditional voice and data service revenues [2] - Adjusted earnings per share for Q3 were $0.54, in line with expectations [2] - Total revenue for Q3 grew by 1.7% year-over-year to $30.7 billion, slightly below the expected $30.87 billion [2] Strategic Moves - AT&T announced a significant $23 billion deal to acquire wireless spectrum licenses from EchoStar, aimed at enhancing network capabilities [1]

Earnings Overview - Earnings season is gaining momentum with major companies like Tesla, Netflix, General Motors, and Ford reporting results this week [1][3] - As of October 17, 12% of S&P 500 companies have reported results, with analysts expecting an 8.5% increase in earnings per share for Q3, marking the ninth consecutive quarter of positive earnings growth but a slowdown from the 12% growth in Q2 [1][2] Sector Performance - A diverse range of sectors is represented in the earnings reports, including airlines, toy manufacturers, and telecom providers, with consumer spending updates expected from companies like Procter & Gamble and Deckers Outdoors [4] - Companies such as GE Vernova reported a 55% increase in orders to $14.6 billion, driven by its power and electrification equipment division, despite profits being below expectations [8][9] Company-Specific Highlights - Hilton reported adjusted earnings of $2.11 per share, exceeding expectations, while revenue per available room (RevPAR) declined 1.1% year-over-year [11][12] - AT&T surpassed subscriber estimates due to strong demand for bundled services and iPhone promotions, leading to a nearly 2% rise in stock [13][14] - Intuitive Surgical's stock surged 15% after beating earnings estimates, driven by strong demand for surgical robots [15] - Texas Instruments' stock fell 7% following a weaker-than-expected Q4 outlook, with projected sales of $4.22 billion to $4.58 billion [16][17] - Capital One reported a 23% increase in total net revenue to $15.4 billion, with earnings per share of $4.83, surpassing expectations [19][20] - Philip Morris experienced an 8% drop in stock after reporting a 3.2% decline in cigarette shipments, although smokeless product shipments increased by 16.6% [21][22][23] - 3M raised its annual earnings outlook after reporting sales of $6.3 billion, slightly above estimates, with adjusted earnings per share of $2.19 [24][25] - Halliburton's stock rose over 5% after reporting adjusted earnings of $0.58 per share, exceeding estimates despite a revenue decline to $5.6 billion [26][27] - GE Aerospace's stock increased over 2.5% after reporting a 26% revenue growth to $11.3 billion and raising its full-year EPS forecast [30][31] Market Sentiment - Bank of America noted that 76% of S&P 500 companies reporting so far have exceeded earnings expectations, indicating a stronger-than-usual earnings season [42][43] - Ally Financial reported better-than-expected consumer health, with earnings per share of $1.18, surpassing estimates [45][46]

Core Insights - The company is focusing on providing both fiber and wireless services to more customers, indicating a strategic shift towards integrated service offerings [1] - The company reports that this strategic move is yielding positive results, suggesting an increase in customer acquisition or retention [1] - Analysts are expected to closely observe the effects of promotional activities on the company's performance [1]

Sales grew 7% on a like-for-like basis, lifted by consumer spending on self-care, germ-protection and sexual-health products. ...