The portfolio of stocks I started building on September 8, at a one stock per week pace for the next year, is named Vista. I will select its eleventh stock this coming weekend. Vista is the sixth portfolio I've built (at a one dividend dog per-week pace) since 2014. Six portfolios = VI for Vista!

Vista is planned to Look Ahead for Outstanding, Proven, Dividend Winners. (Like Aristocrats)

Today we'll review the second of five communication services sector stock candidates vying to be that eleventh selection and first of six communication services members of the Vista portfolio.

My subject today is a mid-cap telecom services company, named Telephone and Data Systems Inc. Its trading ticker symbol is TDS. This is my first report on Telephone and Data Systems Inc for any of my portfolios.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Telephone and Data Systems Inc is a diversified telecommunications operator that provides mobile, telephone, and broadband services to more than 7 million customers. 

The firm's mobile operations are conducted by its 81%-owned subsidiary, U.S. Cellular, which serves nearly 5 million wireless customers. The firm's wireline operations are conducted by its wholly-owned subsidiary, TDS Telecom, which services nearly 1 million phone and Internet access lines in predominantly rural and suburban areas.

The company offers its services to approximately 6 million connections. It sells its products through retail sales, direct sales, third-party retailers, and independent agents, as well as through website and telesales. 

The company was incorporated in 1968 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

I use three key data points to gauge dividend equities or funds like Telephone and Data Systems Inc:

(1) Price

(2) Dividends

(3) Returns

Those three basic keys best tell whether a company has made, is making, and will make money. 

TDS Price

TDS's price per share closed at $19.34 yesterday. A year ago its price was $23.70. Price fell $4.36 or about 31.82% last year.

If TDS's stock trades in the range of $15 to $30 this next year, its recent $19.34 price might rise by $5.66 to reach $25.00 by November 17, 2021. 

TDS Dividends

TDS's most recently declared quarterly dividend was $0.17 paid September 30th. Dividends are estimated to total $0.68 per share annually and yield 3.52% at yesterday's $19.34 closing price.

TDS Gains?

Adding the $0.68 annual anticipated dividend to my $5.66 optimistic estimate of Telephone and Data Systems Inc's price upside shows a $6.34 potential gross gain, per share, to be reduced by any costs to trade the shares.  

Put little over $1,000.00 today in Telephone and Data Systems Inc at $19.34 and we would buy 52 shares of TDS stock.

A $10 broker fee (if any) paid half at purchase and half at sale could cost us about $0.19 per share.

Subtract that $0.19 brokerage cost from my estimated $6.34 gross gain per share results in a net gain of $6.15 X 52 shares = $319.80 for a 31.95% net gain on a $1005.68 investment.

So it goes that Telephone and Data Systems Inc shows a possible 31.95% net gain including a 3.52% dividend yield. It could be more, it could be less. 

All of the estimates above are speculation based on the past history of Telephone and Data Systems Inc. Only time and money invested in this stock will determine its worth.