NAS10029,813+0.55%S&P7,744+0.28%GOLD$4,039−0.32%BTC$80,017−1.54%VIX17.11+1.18%latest tape · as of 12:02 UTC
The Screen · Communication Services · Telecom Services
Telephone and Data Systems, Inc.
TDS · the NYSE · USD · Market cap $3.9B · 4,000 employees
Telephone and Data Systems, Inc., a telecommunications company, provides communications services to residential, commercial, and wholesale customers in the United States.
Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
Options put/call open interest 13.79, read 2026-10-28
Ethical passes the values gate
Price34.49 USD
Fair value23.79
Ethical score70.0/100
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-10-25Read Distribution34.07+1.2% to today Markdown gives way to Distribution
2026-10-11Read Markdown35.20-2.0% to today ✓Markup gives way to Markdown after a 6% slide in 4 weeks
2026-09-14Read Markup37.46-7.9% to today Distribution gives way to Markup after a 7% slide in 11 weeks
2026-07-02Read Distribution40.15-14.1% to today ✓First review on file: Distribution
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. holds its Accumulation at $34.49. Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 351 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-10-28
Phase
Accumulation
Quantitative state
Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 351 days
Price at the screen
$34.49
Valuation
8.52 trailing · 4,190.65 forward price to earnings
Values screen
PASS· score 70.0
Beta
0.32
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Full pass across all five screens. This security clears the Titan Ethical Standard: its business and its balance sheet both stay inside the lines.
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
16.72%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is just 16.7% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling: it does not run on borrowed money.
Pass
Interest-bearing cash
0.00%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
9.94%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 9.9% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Revenue purity
3.28%
Below 5%
Only 3.3% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical Read
Why It Clears, in Plain English
Telephone and Data Systems, clears all five screens. Its business is in a permissible area, its interest-bearing debt is about 17%, inside the ~33% line, and interest is about 3% of its income, under the ~5% line, so it passes.
Read as at 2026-10-28. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
Follow this verdict
Get an email when TDS's ethical verdict changes
Today TDS passes the screen. If new figures move it to a fail, we send you one short email with the before and after. Verdicts change rarely, so you may not hear from us for a long time.
Free, no account needed. Every email has a link to stop.
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-10-28 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. The price runs 31.0% above the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 2 covering, consensus None. The average target sits +38% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as fully-to-richly valued here, while the Street is more bullish: a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.
Price History & Projections
Where it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-10-28 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Telecom priced like a growth star it is not
Picture a regional phone company still charging premium rates in a market where customers can switch to bigger networks or cheaper wireless in a heartbeat. Telephone and Data Systems sits in that spot, yet the shares trade at more than thirty four dollars against a fair value near twenty five. The forward multiple sits above four thousand times earnings while revenue edges up only six percent and return on equity barely clears six percent. We pass because the valuation leaves no room for the modest returns the business actually delivers.
The ethical screen clears, which removes one usual reason to walk away. Still the numbers do not support ownership at this level. Profit margins at ten percent look ordinary rather than exceptional, and the lack of any visible moat means competitors can keep chipping away at the customer base over time.
Risk sits in the stretched multiple itself. Any slowdown in that already modest revenue line or a modest rise in interest costs would expose how little earnings power the company really has. Analysis, not advice.
The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
TDS trades on the NYSE. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The framework has shifted from markdown to distribution since the last review. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved up 0.1% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 35%. The street (2 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $50.
2026-10-18Markdown$34.02-3.4%Entry 8
The analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 3.4% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 5% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 35%. The street (2 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $50.
2026-10-11Markdown · changed$35.20+0.0%Entry 7
The framework has shifted from markup to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 5% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 35%. The street (2 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $50.
2026-10-02Markup$35.20-6.0%Entry 6
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 6.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 5% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 35%. The street (2 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $50.
2026-09-14Markup · changed$37.46+13.6%Entry 5
The framework has shifted from distribution to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 13.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 5% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 35%. The street (2 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $50.
2026-08-14Distribution$32.98-17.9%Entry 4
Our analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 17.9% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 5% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 35%. The street (2 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $50.
2026-07-18Distribution$40.15+0.0%Entry 3
Our analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 5% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 35%. The street (2 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $50.
2026-07-03Distribution$40.15+0.0%Entry 2
Our analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Distribution$40.15Entry 1
Our analysis reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
