AT&T stock holds at USD 25.45 as BNP Paribas upgrades it
Published on 09/22/2026 at 13:57 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
AT&T Inc. (ISIN US00206R1023) closed at USD 25.45 on the NYSE on September 21, 2026, gaining 0.2 percent. The immediate catalyst was BNP Paribas Exane's upgrade from Neutral to Outperform and its higher USD 30 price target, up from USD 26, reported on September 21, 2026.
BNP Paribas raises target to USD 30
According to Investing.com on September 21, 2026, BNP Paribas Exane raised its AT&T rating from Neutral to Outperform and increased the target from USD 26 to USD 30. The move was tied to a higher forecast for postpaid phone average revenue per user growth, lifted to a 1.1 percent compound annual growth rate from 0.2 percent.
The revised forecast implies a potential 18.08 percent upside from the USD 25.41 reference price cited in the upgrade report. The change matters because the brokerage linked wireless customer economics to additional annual revenue, EBITDA and free cash flow over time, rather than relying only on valuation expansion.
Second quarter delivered mixed signals
AT&T reported adjusted earnings per share of USD 0.65 for the second quarter of 2026, ahead of the USD 0.59 consensus estimate, according to Investing.com on September 21, 2026. The USD 0.06 difference represented a 10.17 percent earnings surprise.
Revenue for the same quarter was USD 31.6 billion, below the USD 31.8 billion Wall Street forecast cited by the report. That combination gives investors a precise counterweight to the upgrade: earnings exceeded expectations by USD 0.06 per share, while revenue missed by USD 0.2 billion.
Stock remains below yearly high
AT&T traded between USD 25.32 and USD 25.80 on September 21, 2026, with volume of 35,282,901 shares. The close was USD 3.99 below the 52-week high of USD 29.44 and USD 5.56 above the 52-week low of USD 19.89.
Market data from CNBC put AT&T's market capitalization at USD 174.393 billion and trailing revenue at USD 127.239 billion as of September 21, 2026. The valuation context is therefore defined by a market capitalization above USD 174 billion and a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 8.40.
Next earnings date is October 21
AT&T's next earnings release is scheduled for October 21, 2026, according to Zacks. The calendar lists a consensus estimate of USD 0.62 earnings per share for the quarter ending September 2026, compared with USD 0.65 per share reported for the second quarter.
AT&T stock key data
- Company: AT&T Inc.
- ISIN: US00206R1023
- Ticker: T
- Trading venue: NYSE
- Price (as of September 21, 2026): USD 25.45
- Market capitalization: USD 174.393 billion (as of September 21, 2026)
- Sector / Industry: Communication Services / Wireless Telecommunications
- Next earnings date: October 21, 2026
