Can CenturyLink Stock Rise in 2019?

How the Top Telecom Stocks Are Placed Moving Forward in 2019 (Continued from Prior Part) ## Analysts on CenturyLink stock On January 3, CenturyLink (CTL) had “buy” ratings from six out of 16 analysts and “hold” ratings from seven analysts. Three analysts had “sell” recommendations on the stock. CenturyLink stock has fallen ~9.2% in the trailing-12-month period and risen ~2.4% year-to-date. Based on CTL’s January 3 price of $15.51, analysts’ consensus target price of $20.86 implies that the stock has the potential to rise ~34.5% over the next 12 months. Its target price has fallen from $20.87 a month ago. ## Analysts’ estimates Wall Street analysts expect CenturyLink to post adjusted EPS of $0.33 in the fourth quarter compared to its adjusted EPS of $0.12 in the same quarter a year earlier on a pro forma basis. They expect CenturyLink’s revenue to fall ~3.6% YoY (year-over-year) to $5.8 billion on a pro forma basis. Its total adjusted EPS and revenue for 2018 are expected to be $1.12 and $23.5 billion, respectively. For 2019, analysts expect the company to post adjusted EPS of $1.23, representing a potential rise of ~9.8% from $1.12 in 2018. Analysts expect the company’s revenue to fall ~2.2% YoY to $22.9 billion in 2019. ## CenturyLink’s scale On January 3, Verizon (VZ) was the largest US telecommunications player with a market cap of $232.3 billion, followed by AT&T (T) with a market cap of $215.3 billion. Among US wireline players, CenturyLink’s market cap was $16.8 billion, Windstream Holdings’ (WIN) market cap was $0.1 billion, and Frontier Communications’ (FTR) market cap was $0.2 billion. Browse this series on Market Realist: * Part 1 - What Do Analysts Expect from Verizon’s EPS in 2019? * Part 2 - Has the Crash Created an Opportunity for AT&T’s Investors? * Part 3 - A Look at T-Mobile’s Earnings and Revenue Growth in 2019