AT&T Tops Estimates and Extends Its Subscriber Growth Streak

Scott Moritz, Bloomberg News

Signage at an AT&T store in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. AT&T Inc. is scheduled to release earnings figures on July 22. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- AT&T Inc. exceeded Wall Street’s expectations for profit and wireless subscriber growth, easing concerns about the costs of free-phone promotions and the expansion of its fiber and 5G networks.

Third-quarter earnings, excluding some items, were 87 cents a share, the company said Thursday, surpassing the 80-cent estimate by analysts. Revenue fell to $39.9 billion due to the separation of the DirecTV business.
AT&T added 1.2 million regular wireless customers. Analysts expected a gain of 705,461. Of those, 928,000 were new phone subscribers.
The Dallas-based company said Thursday that it lost 1.8 million U.S. HBO and HBO Max subscribers in the third quarter due to the discontinuation of the Amazon distribution agreement. Total U.S. HBO Max and HBO subscribers was 45.2 million, while global subscribers increased to 69.4 million. Analysts predicted AT&T would have a total of 48.3 million U.S. subscribers.

Key Insights

AT&T recently dialed down aggressive free-phone promotions, which were matched intermittently by rivals Verizon Communications Inc. and T-Mobile US Inc. The profit-denting giveaways did help AT&T book its fifth consecutive quarter of wireless subscriber gains. Verizon said Wednesday that it added 699,000 regular monthly subscribers in the third quarter.
AT&T has lost more than 10 million TV customers since acquiring DirecTV. To get the declining business off its books, it shifted its TV operations on July 31 to a joint venture with TPG. AT&T is also merging its WarnerMedia unit with Discovery Inc. to create a new independent company. Both moves are intended to return AT&T to its roots with a stronger focus on 5G wireless and fiber broadband networks.
Similar to Verizon, AT&T spent billions of dollars on new 5G midband airwaves. Both carriers are in a crucial race to use this new portion of spectrum to bolster their 5G networks in an effort to catch up to T-Mobile US Inc.
AT&T says it expects to reach the top of the forecast range for total HBO Max subscribers. The company raised the range last quarter to 70 million to 73 million.

Market Reaction

AT&T shares rose 2% at 6:37 a.m. before regular trading in New York. The stock had dropped nearly 10% this year through Wednesday, in line with Verizon and T-Mobile as phone price battles threatened profits.

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