CenturyLink Inc
Latest CenturyLink Inc News and Updates

Wall Street’s Take on CenturyLink Leading up to Its 1Q16 Earnings
As of April 11, 2016, ~52.6% of Wall Street analysts’ recommendations for CenturyLink’s stock were “holds,” 15.8% were “sells,” and ~31.6% were “buys.”

Analyzing the Impact of the Latest Regulatory Liberties on AT&T
In this article, we’ll discuss the overall regulatory environment in relation to net neutrality, business data services (or BDS), and privacy.

Verizon’s Global Enterprise revenues should follow declining trend
In the first three quarters of 2014, Verizon’s Global Enterprise revenues declined by ~4.2%. They’re expected to decline by ~4% year-over-year in 2014.

Why Is Sprint Cutting Jobs?
According to Sprint, it has planned to rationalize annual costs by at least $2 billion from fiscal 2016.

Trump’s Impeachment, Trade War, and Tech Stocks
In this article, we will discuss how Trump’s impeachment has already affected and will affect US tech and telecom stocks.

Investors should be aware of regulations in the telecom industry
In the US and around the world, the telecom industry is regulated because market forces can’t maintain competition within the highly capital-intensive industry.

Rackspace Hosting sees activist interest from Blue Harbour
In September, after months of speculation that Rackspace could be acquired by CenturyLink, Inc. (CTL) and had interest from Hewlett-Packard, the company said it was no longer exploring merger and acquisition options. On the contrary, the company declared its commitment to remain independent.

JANA Partners starts a new position in Rackspace Hosting
JANA Partners added a stake in Rackspace Hosting Inc. (RAX). The position accounted for 1.18% of the fund’s total third-quarter portfolio.

What Analysts Expect from CenturyLink’s Q2 2018 Earnings
CenturyLink (CTL) is expected to report its results for the second quarter on August 8. Analysts expect EPS of $0.25.

Intelsat Jackson Issued Most Junk Bonds in the Week Ended March 24
Continuous improvement in market conditions resulted in the highest year-to-date (or YTD) high-yield bond issuance in the primary market last week.

What to Expect from CenturyLink in Q4
CenturyLink will report its fourth-quarter earnings results after the market closes today. Analysts expect sales of $5.5 billion in the fourth quarter.

IYZ Sees $57.2 Million in Fund Outflows in Trailing 12 Months
In the trailing one month, net fund outflows for IYZ have been $88.2 million. In the trailing 12-month period, net fund outflows were $57.2 million.

Why CenturyLink’s Revenues Fell in 2Q17
CenturyLink’s total operating revenues fell ~7.0% year-over-year to reach $4.1 billion in 2Q17.

IYZ Sees Fund Inflows in Trailing 12-Month Period
In the trailing 12-month period, IYZ’s net fund inflows were $3.9 million. Fund flows in the trailing five days and trailing three months were -$7.9 million and $120.0 million, respectively.

Frontier’s 3Q15 Earnings Surprise Wall Street Analysts
Frontier’s earnings in 3Q15 surprised Wall Street analysts, as it was expected to have loss for the quarter.

Is CenturyLink Stock a Good Option for You?
On April 1, CenturyLink stock fell 7.1% and closed at $8.79 with a market cap of $9.6 billion. The stock price has fallen 2.9% in the trailing five-day period.

Is CenturyLink Stock a Good Option for Investors?
On Tuesday, CenturyLink stock rose 14.5% and closed at $9.95 with a market cap of $10.8 billion. The stock price has fallen 8.4% in the trailing five-day period.

Will CenturyLink Stock Rally More on $1.6 Billion IT Order?
Yesterday, CenturyLink stock rose after it won a $1.6 billion order. The stock rose by about 1.4% in pre-market trading today.

How CenturyLink Stock Wrapped Up 2019
CenturyLink (CTL) stock closed the trading day on January 2 at $12.92, a fall of 2.2%. The stock is trading 22.9% lower than its 52-week high of $16.75.

A Look at CenturyLink’s Dividend Yield and Outlook
CenturyLink (CTL) stock was at $13.16 on December 24. This is down 0.23% from the previous session. However, CenturyLink generates robust free cash flow.

Tesla the Most Profitable Short Bet, Bears Rejoice
Tesla bears had made a whopping $2.75 billion in mark-to-market gains this year as of August 9, making it the most profitable US short bet year-to-date.

Verizon’s EBITDA Is Expected to Rise Modestly in 2Q15
According to Wall Street analysts’ consensus as of July 10, on an adjusted basis, Verizon’s EBITDA is expected to rise moderately by ~5% YoY during 2Q15.

CenturyLink Stock Has Jumped ~7.3% Today—Here’s Why
CenturyLink (CTL) stock was up ~7.3% and was trading at $11.70 as of 2:17 PM ET on June 27 after Wells Fargo upgraded its stock. Wells Fargo upgraded its rating on CTL to an “outperform” from a “market perform” and raised the stock’s target price to $14 from $12.

CenturyLink’s Current Valuation Compared to Its Peers
On June 20, CenturyLink was trading at a 12-month forward PE ratio of 8.60x. Charter Communications and Comcast’s 12-month forward PE ratios were 38.15x and 13.65x, respectively.

Analyzing CenturyLink’s Revenue Trends in 2019
CenturyLink’s (CTL) top line has been declining in the last few quarters. In the first quarter, the company reported net revenues of $5.6 billion—a fall of 5.0% on a year-over-year basis.

CenturyLink Stock Has Risen 7.8% in June
CenturyLink (CTL) stock has risen close to 7.8% since the beginning of June. CenturyLink stock is trading at a forward PE ratio of 8.69x. The company’s earnings are estimated to rise 10.1% in 2019.

How’s CenturyLink Stock Positioned in 2019?
Among the 16 analysts tracking CenturyLink, two recommended a “buy,” 11 recommended a “hold,” and three recommended a “sell” as of May 14.

Comparing CenturyLink’s Q1 Earnings Growth to Its Peers’
CenturyLink (CTL) reported its first-quarter earnings results on May 8.

CenturyLink’s Earnings Growth Might Continue in Q1
CenturyLink (CTL) is scheduled to report its first-quarter earnings results on May 8. Analysts expect CenturyLink’s adjusted EPS to reach $0.27.

Frontier Communications: Analysts’ Expectations in Q1
Frontier Communications (FTR) is scheduled to report its first-quarter earnings results on April 30.

Does PayPal Stock Deserve a Downgrade?
Early this month, Guggenheim downgraded PayPal (PYPL) stock to a “neutral” from a “sell.”

What’s CenturyLink’s Outlook for 2019?
Analysts expect CenturyLink (CTL) to report a ~2.5% fall in its consolidated revenues to $22.9 billion in 2019 compared to $23.4 billion in 2018.

Did CenturyLink’s Top Line Meet the Target in the Fourth Quarter?
CenturyLink’s (CTL) top line has been declining over the past few quarters on a pro forma basis.

CenturyLink Stock Fell 10.8% Due to Q4 Results and Dividend Cut
CenturyLink reported its fourth-quarter results after the market closed on February 13. CenturyLink reported an adjusted EPS of $0.37.

What’s Expected for CenturyLink’s Fourth-Quarter Earnings
In the first nine months of 2018, CenturyLink’s adjusted EPS grew ~58.8% year-over-year from $0.51 to $0.81.

How CenturyLink’s Valuation Compares
As of March 16, 2018, AT&T (T) was the largest US telecom player, with a market capitalization of ~$227.2 billion.

Why CenturyLink’s Broadband Subscriber Count Continues to Fall
Top US cable companies continue to show strong momentum in the broadband market.

How CenturyLink Could Benefit from its Level 3 Acquisition
CenturyLink (CTL), an American telecommunications company, completed its acquisition of Level 3 in November 2017.

What Wall Street Recommends for Frontier after 4Q17 Earnings
The analyst consensus for Frontier’s 12-month target price is $8.72, which means a potential return of 9% from the closing price of $8.03 as of March 12, 2018.

Where Crown Castle Stands among Peers
Peer comparison In 4Q17, Crown Castle (CCI) had FFO[1.funds from operations] per share of $1.25, and in 2018, it’s expected to see FFO per share of $5.23 due to its acquisition of Lightower. The company is expected to grow 7.8% in 2018, 11.4% in 2019, and at a five-year rate of 15.5%. Trading slightly lower rate than the industry […]

Frontier in February: Analyst Recommendations
Five of the 16 analysts rated Frontier Communications stock gave it a “sell,” while three rated the stock as a “buy,” and eight rated the stock as a “hold.”

How Crown Castle Rewards Shareholders
Crown Castle’s dividend policy In 4Q17, Crown Castle (CCI) announced a dividend of $0.95 per share, bringing its 2017 dividend to $3.89, compared with $3.60 in 2016. It paid a dividend of $3.34 in 2015. Its dividend yield is currently 3.8%, and its three-year dividend growth rate is 27.8%. The company achieved its long-term annual dividend growth target of […]

Analysts’ Recommendations for CenturyLink in January 2018
Analysts’ recommendations Of the 18 analysts tracking CenturyLink (CTL) stock on January 30, 2018, ten (56%) recommended “hold,” seven recommended “buy,” and one recommended “sell.” Median target price On January 30, analysts’ median target price for CenturyLink was $18, and the company’s closing price was $17.81. CenturyLink has returned -31% in the last 12 months, 6.8% in […]

Why CenturyLink Reported Broadband Subscriber Losses in 3Q17
The top cable companies continue to show strong momentum in the US broadband market with Comcast (CMCSA) and Charter (CHTR) adding the most broadband customers in 3Q17 given the higher speeds.

Frontier’s 2017 Capital Expenditure Budget
In 3Q17, Frontier spent $0.27 billion on capex compared to $0.4 billion in 3Q16. The telecom company has been spending a lot to improve its network potential.

What Is CenturyLink’s Capex Estimate for 3Q17?
In 2017, CenturyLink’s management expects to spend ~$2.6 billion on capex.

CenturyLink’s Core Revenue Growth in 3Q17
In 2Q17, CenturyLink reported total core revenues of $3.7 billion, a ~7.9% reduction year-over-year.

What Analysts Expect from Frontier’s 3Q17 Earnings
Frontier Communications (FTR) will publish its 3Q17 results on October 31, 2017. Analysts expect Frontier’s EPS (earnings per share) to fall $1.09 in 3Q17.

What Led to CenturyLink’s Steep Dividend Yield Curve?
CenturyLink (CTL) posted a fall in revenue of 2.4% in 2016 after a 1.0% fall in 2015. Legacy services and the data integration segments drove the fall.

How Frontier Communications’ Dividend Yield Compares to Its Peers
Frontier Communications’ (FTR) dividend yield was ~17.9% on September 7, 2017, which was higher than the dividend yield for CenturyLink (CTL) at ~11.6%.

How CenturyLink is Maintaining Its Dividend Yield
The story behind CenturyLink’s 8% yield Another acquisition-driven telecom company is CenturyLink (CTL). The cohesive communications company provides a wide range of services to its residential and business customers. Like Frontier, it has been impacted by the slowing traditional phone business. The company’s operating metrics, excluding those of Prism TV, are trending downwards. This trend has […]

How Relaxed Drone Regulations Could Benefit AT&T
Senior executives at AT&T (T), Verizon (VZ), and CenturyLink (CTL) joined other business leaders in a White House meeting with President Trump in June.

CenturyLink on the Street: Analyst Recommendations and Target Prices
Among the analysts tracking CenturyLink stock, 35% recommended a “buy,” while 47% recommend a “hold,” and 18% recommend a “sell.”

Understanding CenturyLink’s Core Revenue in 2Q17
CenturyLink’s (CTL) management anticipates that it will see core revenues between $3.66 billion and $3.72 billion for 2Q17.

How Well Is Crown Castle Leveraging Its Balance Sheet?
It’s extremely important for REITs to maintain optimum debt levels, and managers work constantly to leverage balance sheets in the best possible ways.

Why Some Are Investors Are Bullish on Crown Castle
REITs (real estate investment trusts) typically have to pay 90% of their taxable income to shareholders to qualify as an equity.

Behind Crown Castle’s Investment in 5G
Crown Castle has been quick to respond to the needs of the day, focusing on new technology and transforming itself from a tower company to a fiber provider.

Why Crown Castle Expects to See Revenue Growth
Crown Castle is expected to keep riding high on its current growth trajectory, driven by strategic investments and exposure to the booming small cell business.

Why AT&T Is Optimistic about Net Neutrality
AT&T (T) and its fellow ISPs seem optimistic about the FCC’s steps to roll back part of the net neutrality law that classified the Internet as a public utility rather than an information service.

Inside CenturyLink’s Outlook for the Rest of 2017
The first quarter of 2017 was tough for US wireline telecom players like CenturyLink, which has 10.9 million voice lines and 5.9 million broadband subscribers.

Which Stocks Are the Top Dividend Yielders?
Since the elections, the S&P 500 (SPY) (SPX-INDEX) is up 15% driven by financials (XLF), technology (XLK) (SMH), industrials (XLI), and consumer discretionary (XLY).

Analysts’ Latest Recommendations for Frontier
Wall street’s take on Frontier Previously in this series, we looked at Frontier Communications’ (FTR) value proposition in the US telecom space, and compared it with that of CenturyLink (CTL), Windstream (WIN), Verizon (VZ), and AT&T (T). In this part, we’ll look at some market views on and metrics for Frontier. Wall Street analysts’ recommendations […]

Could Frontier Communications Report a Loss in 1Q17?
Frontier Communications (FTR) will report its results for 1Q17 on May 2, 2017. In this series, we’ll take a look at expectations for the company’s performance during the quarter.

Why Charter Communications Is Gaining Broadband Subscribers
In 4Q16, Charter Communications’s Internet customers increased ~7.3% year-over-year to reach ~21.4 million, making it the second-largest US cable player after Comcast.

Analyzing CenturyLink’s Outlook for 2017
Wall Street expects CenturyLink’s earnings to fall in 2017. Analysts expect CenturyLink to have EPS of $2.15 in 2017—compared to EPS of $2.45 in 2016.

What Can We Expect of Verizon’s FiOS Internet Customer Growth in 4Q16?
Verizon expects solid FiOS Internet net additions to continue, now that the company has overcome the impacts of its 2016 strike.

CenturyLink’s Broadband Subscribers Continue to Fall
During CenturyLink’s 3Q16 earnings conference call, management attributed the fall in subscribers to its focus on better credit quality customers and bundled offerings.

How Much Can CenturyLink Change with Level 3 in Its Portfolio?
CenturyLink (CTL) is acquiring Level 3 (LVLT) for $34 billion in a cash and stock transaction that includes the assumption of debt.

What’s AT&T’s Value Proposition in the Telecom Market?
As of June 24, 2016, AT&T was the largest global telecom company by market capitalization.

Frontier Communications: Integration Efforts after Verizon Deal
Frontier Communications’ (FTR) acquisition of Verizon’s (VZ) wireline assets in California, Florida, and Texas was completed on April 1, 2016. According to Frontier, it was a $10.5 billion deal.

The Road to 5G: Verizon on Its Initial Challenges
During the recent MoffettNathanson Media and Communications Summit 2016, Fran Shammo, Verizon’s (VZ) executive vice president and CFO, discussed the company’s key challenges in its 5G deployment.

How Does Frontier Communications Compete on Value Proposition?
As of April 22, 2016, Frontier Communications (FTR) has a market capitalization of ~$6.6 billion. Frontier Communications has a forward annual dividend yield of ~7.8%.

Will Frontier Communications’ Revenue Decline in 1Q16?
In 4Q15, Frontier Communications’ revenue was ~$1.4 billion, ~$257 million of which came from its Connecticut operations.

Can Verizon Maintain Its Robust Growth Trend in Its 1Q16 Earnings?
Verizon (VZ) will report its results for 1Q16 on April 21, 2016. Wall Street analysts expect that on a year-over-year basis, the carrier’s earnings growth momentum will slow down during 1Q16.

Understanding Frontier’s Scale of Operations after the Verizon Transaction
According to the consensus of Wall Street analysts, Frontier’s revenue in 1Q16 is expected to be ~$1.4 billion.

AT&T GigaPower for U-verse: The Expansion Continues
AT&T GigaPower is a fiber-based video, Internet, and voice service capable of providing Internet speeds of a maximum of 1 gigabit per second.

What Does Wall Street Think About Frontier Communications?
Of the analysts covering Frontier stock, 72.2% have recommended a “buy” as of March 28, 2016. About 22.2% have recommended a “hold,” and 5.6% have recommended a “sell.”

What’s Frontier’s Asset Strategy in the Verizon Transaction?
April 1, 2016, is the expected completion date of Frontier Communications’ (FTR) acquisition of Verizon’s wireline assets in California, Florida, and Texas.

What Are US Telecom Stocks’ Valuation Levels in SPY?
Over the last few months, US telecom stocks have generated more returns than the broader S&P 500 Index.

Behind CenturyLink’s Proposed IP-Based Video Streaming Service
CenturyLink has specified that its Prism Stream will be aimed at Millennials and that the OTT video offering should reduce bandwidth requirements.

How Could Verizon Benefit from XO Communications Transaction?
In this series, we’ll look at David Small’s comments on Verizon at the Jefferies Media & Communications Conference, including the agreement to buy the fiber assets of XO Communications.

Frontier’s 4Q15 Earnings Surprise Wall Street Analysts, Again
Frontier Communications (FTR) reported its fiscal 4Q15 results on February 23, 2016. On an adjusted basis, Frontier surprised Wall Street analysts with positive earnings.

Adoption of Verizon’s Device Plan Was Lower Than Anticipated
During 4Q15, the adoption of Verizon’s device plans increased sequentially. But the figure was lower than the company had anticipated.

The Unified Communications Market: What Are Its Key Drivers?
IDC Research expects the unified communications market, which was $26.2 billion in 2014, to grow to $38 billion in 2016.

Windstream’s Gigabit Service in 5 Markets by 1H16
On December 3, Robert E. Gunderman, Windstream’s CFO, highlighted the low capital investment associated with initiating Kinetic, Windstream’s IPTV service.

Frontier’s Value Proposition in the Telecommunications Industry
In this part of the series, we’ll look at some value-centric metrics of Frontier and its select peers in the US telecommunication industry.

Project Excel: Windstream’s Expansion in High-Speed Internet Space
The Project Excel program is expected to boost Windstream’s Internet speeds significantly in the consumer and small business ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) markets by the end of 2016.

How Frontier’s Business Model May look towards the End of 2016
Frontier’s revenue composition changed after incorporating the performance of assets in the Verizon deal and Connecticut wireline assets.

What Will Frontier Do with Verizon’s Penetrated Assets?
There are some opportunities for Frontier Communications within the significantly penetrated wireline assets in the Verizon transaction.

How Much Will Verizon Want for Its Wireline Assets?
Verizon’s (VZ) wireline asset transaction with Frontier Communications (FTR) is on track to be completed by the end of 1Q16.

Digital Realty Reports Mixed Quarterly Results for 3Q15
Digital Realty’s (DLR) stock has had its ups and downs in 2015. After the 3Q15 earnings report, DLR fell by 0.94% to close at $71.85 per share on October 29, 2015.

IYZ Sees -$143.8 Million in Fund Outflows in the Trailing 12 Months
The IYZ ETF generated investor returns of 4.3% in the trailing-12-month period, 5.2% in the trailing-one-month period, and 7.9% in the trailing three years.

Verizon’s Wireline Revenue: Falling Trend Continued in 2Q15
Verizon’s wireline revenue was ~$9.4 billion during 2Q15. The wireline revenue continued its falling trend in 2Q15. It fell ~2.20% YoY.

AT&T’s Wireline Revenue Continued to Decline in 2Q15
The declining trend in AT&T’s wireline revenues continued during 2Q15. The segment declined by ~1% YoY, even after excluding 2Q14 results of Connecticut operations.

Can Frontier Communications Recover?
Frontier Communications (FTR) has been attractive to dividend investors in the last few years. But it’s finding it difficult to maintain its stock price and keep it from falling.

AT&T’s Wireline Revenue Is Likely to Decline Again in 2Q15
Based on the consensus estimates as of July 14, 2015, AT&T’s wireline revenue is expected to fall by ~1.7% year-over-year, or YoY, during 2Q15.

AT&T’s Revenue: Marginal Growth Expected in 2Q15
In 1Q15, AT&T’s revenue was a marginal ~0.6% less than Wall Street’s consensus estimates. In 4Q14, AT&T’s revenue came in ~0.6% above Wall Street’s consensus estimates.

Coatue Management Exits Its Position in Level 3 Communications
In 4Q14, Coatue Management exited its position in Level 3 Communications. Coatue sold 3,122,406 shares of Level 3. It represented 1.46% of the fund’s 3Q14 portfolio.

Verizon’s Enterprise and Wholesale Revenues Continue to Decline
Strategic services are gaining significance in Verizon’s enterprise segment. Strategic services benefit wireline telecommunication companies.

Why Alcatel-Lucent May Be a Threat to Cisco in the Router Market
Over the last few quarters, Cisco has maintained its share between 40% and 50% in the service provider router market.