:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1411286407-91cfacdb7462481b82fe59005c403c0f.jpg "T-Mobile Stock Rises After Subscriber Boost, But Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates")
Key Takeaways
- T-Mobile US Inc. reported revenue of $16 billion for the fourth quarter, while 2023 revenue of $63.2 billion was up 3%.
- T-Mobile’s earnings per share (EPS) missed analyst estimates at $1.67, compared with expectations of $1.91.
- The company outperformed its rivals AT&T and Verizon by adding 934,000 subscribers.
T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS) shares rose Friday after the company reported a fourth-quarter boost in wireless subscribers, although profit was below analysts’ estimates.
Net income at T-Mobile for the fourth quarter was $2.01 billion, or $1.67 per share, below forecasts of around $1.91 per share, according to analysts’ estimates compiled earlier by Visible Alpha. Revenue rose 3% to $16 billion.
The company also said it led its peers in postpaid customer growth and noted a record-low customer churn rate. T-Mobile’s 5G coverage now exceeds 330 million people, which is higher than AT&T Inc. (T) and Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) combined, T-Mobile said in its earnings statement.
A gain of 934,000 mobile phone subscribers for the quarter was ahead of expectations for 886,000. AT&T reported 526,000 additional subscribers for the same quarter, while Verizon said it had added 449,000.
“We added over 2.1 million customers in ’23, our biggest growth year yet, with more net new customers than the other largest providers combined,” Chief Executive Officer (CEO) G. Michael Sievert said on the company’s earnings call late Thursday.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Peter Osvaldik also noted a one-time hit to the company’s diluted EPS from the issuance of shares to Japanese investment fund SoftBank during the quarter as part of the Japanese investment fund’s sale to T-Mobile of Sprint.
Shares T-Mobile were rose 2% early Friday, then settled 0.3% higher at $163.11 a share as of 1:09 p.m. ET. They’ve gained almost 10% over the past year.