AT&T Stock Declines 7.8% in Six Months: Should You Buy in the Dip?

Core Insights - AT&T, Inc. has seen a stock decline of 7.8% over the past six months, outperforming the Wireless National industry's decline of 10% but underperforming compared to the Zacks Computer & Technology sector and the S&P 500 [1] Performance Comparison - The company has underperformed compared to Verizon Communications Inc., which declined 7.1%, but outperformed T-Mobile US, Inc., which decreased by 15.3% during the same period [2] Major Challenges - AT&T faces significant challenges in its Business Wireline segment, with revenues declining 7.8% year over year and EBITDA down 13% year over year due to lower demand for legacy voice and data services. The company expects to report revenues of $17.48 billion, indicating a 7.1% year-over-year decline [3] - The company typically experiences lower new connections during holiday seasons, leading to expectations of reduced fiber net additions in the fourth quarter. The saturated U.S. wireless market and spectrum crunch are also major issues, increasing customer acquisition costs due to competition from Verizon and T-Mobile [4] Key Growth Drivers - AT&T is benefiting from strong wireless traction and customer additions, with 328,000 post-paid net additions in Q3. The fiber broadband business is also growing, with net fiber additions of 288,000 and 270,000 subscribers added through Internet Air during the quarter. The company aims to reach 50 million customer locations by the end of 2030 [5] - The U.S. fiber broadband market is projected to grow at a 7.5% compound annual growth rate, driven by the demand for high-speed broadband due to high-bandwidth applications [6] Strategic Initiatives - The company is expanding its portfolio beyond traditional communication services, introducing platforms like FirstNet Fusion and AT&T Express Waves to support cloud, AI, and edge applications. AT&T's 5G network currently covers over 320 million people across 27,000 cities and towns in the U.S. [10] Earnings Estimates - Earnings estimates for AT&T for 2025 and 2026 have increased over the past 60 days, indicating a positive trend in investor confidence [11] Valuation Metrics - From a valuation perspective, AT&T appears to be trading at a lower price/earnings ratio of 11.48 compared to the industry average of 12.04 and its own mean of 12.56, suggesting it may be undervalued [12] Business Transformation Focus - The company is focused on business transformation to enhance operational efficiency and resource utilization, with plans to invest in key areas to fuel long-term growth [14]