Wall Street Bets Big on T-Mobile Stock After Subscriber Surge
T-Mobile shared a profit beat and a surge in subscribers
The shares of T-Mobile Us Inc (NASDAQ:TMUS) are up 6.3% to trade at$92 this morning, after the wireless provider reported first-quarter earnings of $1.10 per share, beating out Wall Street's estimates. Conversely, its $11.1 billion in revenue fell short of analyst's expectations. The firm added that its monthly bill paying subscriber count surged during its first-quarter on higher demand for cheaper phone services amid the coronavirus lockdown.
TMUS is eyeing its highest close in roughly two months today. The stock is now up 18% in 2020, and is also looking to topple recent pressure at the $92 level. Looking back, T-Mobile stock has found solid support at its 50-day moving average since breaking north of the trendline back in early April.
Two analysts have already chimed in, with Instinet and Keybanc raising their price targets to $110 and $104, respectively. Meanwhile, Cowen and Company just lowered its estimate to $106. This brings the consensus 12-month price target to $102.18, which sits at a 9.7% premium to current levels. The majority of analysts covering the stock were bullish coming into today, With 11 calling it a "buy" or better, compared to two saying "hold."
In the options pits, TMUS sports 10-day put/call volume ratio of 0.74 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). This ratio sits in the lofty 79th percentile of its annual range, suggesting that while calls are still outnumbering puts, the appetite for these bearish bets has been healthier than usual.
Taking a look at today's options activity, over 9,929 calls and 4,078 puts have crossed the tape so far -- ten times what's typically seen at this point. Most popular is the May 96 call, with positions being opened here. The means these traders will stand to profit, should the underlying stock break north of the $96 level once these contracts expire next Friday, May 15.