Telephone and Data Systems Inc. (TDS) carries a Roarable Rating of D+ (Sell) with 54/100 RQD Confidence due to weak cash-flow efficiency and sensitivity to current interest rates. Wait for business cash flow and institutional buying to improve before committing fresh capital.
As of 2026-11-01, Telephone and Data Systems Inc. (NYSE: TDS) is rated D+ (Sell / SELL) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 54/100 at a spot price of $33.92 (-1.65% 1D, market cap $3.90B). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 8/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 9/20, Executive Insider Alignment 13/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 14/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 10/20. Across 132 tracked Communication Services issuers, TDS ranks #63 in composite RQD confidence.
Within the Communication Services sector (Telecommunications Equipment), TDS carries a Roarable D+ (54/100 RQD), trailing P/E of N/A, gross margin of —, and ROIC of -1.9%. By comparison, PHI (PLDT Inc. Sponsored ADR) holds a C- grade (61/100 RQD, P/E N/A, ROIC —, cap $3.82B) and TKC (Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS) posts a D+ grade (52/100 RQD, P/E N/A, ROIC —, cap $4.07B). Among the 5-stock peer group, TDS leads on earnings multiple (N/A) while TDS leads on capital efficiency (-1.9% ROIC).
Per TDS's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31, CIK 0001051512), Telephone and Data Systems Inc. generated $1.07B in revenue (-9.0% YoY), $20.2M in net income, and $199.4M in free cash flow against $8.40B in total assets and $0 in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Established market leader in Communication Services with deep daily trading liquidity.. Primary risk factors monitored: Company executives have done more routine share selling than personal cash buying lately.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.
Impersonal quantitative research (0–100 RQD rubric) — not individualized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full Disclaimer
FRED Regime × Technicals: 17% of 52W Range • RSI-14 at 47.1 (NEUTRAL RANGE)
Altman Z-Score 3.80 (FORTRESS SAFE (>3.0)) • Piotroski F-Score 6/9
Capital intensity & 0% operating margin leave 12 pts on the table
While TDS currently carries a cautious 54/100 (D+) rating due to Cash Engine Quality (8/20), shorts face asymmetric squeeze risk if free cash flow inflects or management executes accretive buybacks.
Established market leader in Communication Services with deep daily trading liquidity.
Options & Short-Covering Gamma: Reclaiming the 50-day SMA ($35.19) and Max Pain ($35.62) forces dealer call-delta covering toward $51.58.
Forensic Repair Trigger: Halting share dilution (Cannibal Buyback (-0.68% YoY Shares)) or retiring high-cost debt immediately upgrades the SEC 10-K Forensic pillar.
Telephone and Data Systems Inc. (TDS) slipped -1.65% to $33.92, trading at 17% of its 52-week range ($30.71 – $49.12). Stretched risk/reward at current multiples (-2% return on capital) under elevated 10-year interest-rate pressure.
Billionaire investor Howard Marks, co-founder of Oaktree Capital Management, has spent more than five decades studying financial markets, investment risk, and speculative bubbles. His firm, founded in 1995, has grown int
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Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (NYSE: TDS) and Array Digital Infrastructure, Inc. (NYSE: AD) will webcast their third quarter operating results conference call on November 6, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. Central Time.
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Gainers Treasure Global (NASDAQ:TGL) stock increased by 55.2% to $0.34 during Monday's pre-market session. Global Interactive (NASDAQ:GITS) stock increased by 12.52% to $1.4. The market value of their outstanding
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Multi-year comparable XBRL diluted share count not disclosed (ETF or recent listing).
vs. -9.0% actual YoY revenue growth (assuming 9.25% cost of equity & 16.5x terminal multiple).
No active Ellis Vennor swing setup published on TDS today. View full Setup Ledger →
No direct multi-tier Butterfly edges indexed yet for TDS. Explore sector supply chains on /butterfly.
Across 132 tracked Communication Services securities in the Roarable RQD universe, Telephone and Data Systems Inc. (TDS) ranks #63 by composite RQD confidence (54/100, grade D+) and #44 by equity capitalization ($3.90B). Within this direct 5-issuer industry benchmark cohort, TDS leads on earnings valuation at N/A trailing P/E, while TDS leads on capital efficiency and profitability with -1.9% ROIC and — gross margin. PHI currently holds the highest overall quantitative score in the immediate peer group at 61/100 (C-) compared with TDS at 54/100 (D+).
| Ticker / Company | Roarable Grade | RQD Score | Trailing P/E | Gross Margin | ROIC | 1D Change | Market Cap | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TDS
ACTIVE
Telephone and Data Systems Inc. | D+ | 54/100 | — | — | -1.9% | -1.65% | $3.90B | Benchmark Subject |
| PHI PLDT Inc. Sponsored ADR | C- | 61/100 | — | — | — | +1.78% | $3.82B | /phi-vs-tds → |
| TKC Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS | D+ | 52/100 | — | — | — | -0.22% | $4.07B | /tkc-vs-tds → |
| TEO Telecom Argentina SA | D+ | 58/100 | — | — | — | -0.09% | $4.77B | /teo-vs-tds → |
| LUMN Lumen Technologies Inc. | D- | 37/100 | — | 41.4% | -13.4% | -0.21% | $4.94B | /lumn-vs-tds → |
In its most recent audited fiscal period (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31), Telephone and Data Systems Inc. (TDS) reported GAAP revenue of $1.07B (-9.0% vs. FY2024 revenue of $1.18B , and -12.8% cumulative change since FY2023) , GAAP net income of $20.2M, operating cash flow of $589.9M, and free cash flow of $199.4M (-74.5% YoY). On the balance sheet, TDS closed FY2025 with $8.40B in total assets against $0 in total debt (Altman Z-Score: N/A, Piotroski F-Score: 6/9).
| Fiscal Period | Filing Date | Revenue | Net Income | Operating Cash Flow | Free Cash Flow | Total Assets | Total Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 (FY) | 2025-12-31 | $1.07B | $20.2M | $589.9M | $199.4M | $8.40B | — |
| FY2024 (FY) | 2024-12-31 | $1.18B | -$26.5M | $1.15B | $780.4M | $13.68B | — |
| FY2023 (FY) | 2023-12-31 | $1.23B | -$487.3M | $1.14B | $1.14B | — | — |
As of 2026-11-01, Telephone and Data Systems Inc. (NYSE: TDS) is rated D+ (Sell / SELL) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 54/100 at a spot price of $33.92 (-1.65% 1D, market cap $3.90B). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 8/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 9/20, Executive Insider Alignment 13/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 14/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 10/20. Across 132 tracked Communication Services issuers, TDS ranks #63 in composite RQD confidence.
Within the Communication Services sector (Telecommunications Equipment), TDS carries a Roarable D+ (54/100 RQD), trailing P/E of N/A, gross margin of —, and ROIC of -1.9%. By comparison, PHI (PLDT Inc. Sponsored ADR) holds a C- grade (61/100 RQD, P/E N/A, ROIC —, cap $3.82B) and TKC (Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS) posts a D+ grade (52/100 RQD, P/E N/A, ROIC —, cap $4.07B). Among the 5-stock peer group, TDS leads on earnings multiple (N/A) while TDS leads on capital efficiency (-1.9% ROIC).
Per TDS's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31, CIK 0001051512), Telephone and Data Systems Inc. generated $1.07B in revenue (-9.0% YoY), $20.2M in net income, and $199.4M in free cash flow against $8.40B in total assets and $0 in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Established market leader in Communication Services with deep daily trading liquidity.. Primary risk factors monitored: Company executives have done more routine share selling than personal cash buying lately.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.
TDS last traded at $33.92 (-1.65% on volume of 1,144,169 shares), positioning the stock -3.61% below its 50-day simple moving average ($35.19) and -14.34% below its 200-day simple moving average ($39.60). Across its 52-week range of $30.71 to $49.12, TDS sits at the 17.4% percentile with a 14-day RSI of 47.1 (NEUTRAL RANGE) and an implied next-earnings move of ±9.0% ($30.87 to $36.97).
Why TDS Stock slipped -1.65% Today — RQD Quant Desk Flash. Stretched risk/reward at current multiples (-2% return on capital) under elevated 10-year interest-rate pressure.
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