Telecommunications Industry Report
Market Cap: $2.0T
Stocks: 81
Median P/E: 11.2x
Median ROIC: 4.3%
Data sourced from SEC EDGAR filings. Report refreshed weekly.
Part of the Communication Services sector.
Performance Dashboard
| Period | Sector (MCW) | Sector (Median) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | -0.4% | +0.1% |
| 1 Week | +0.6% | +0.0% |
| 1 Month | — | — |
| 3 Months | — | — |
| 6 Months | — | — |
| YTD | +0.2% | +0.5% |
| 1 Year | +26.3% | +3.6% |
| 3 Years | +82.4% | +16.8% |
| 5 Years | +39.5% | -10.9% |
Today's Breadth: 39 advancing · 29 declining · 5 flat
Valuation Summary
| Metric | Median | P25 | P75 | vs 5Y Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 11.2x | 1.1x | 23.1x | -4% |
| P/B | 1.1x | 0.4x | 2.7x | -20% |
| P/S | 0.9x | 0.4x | 2.3x | — |
| P/FCF | 7.8x | 2.7x | 12.4x | — |
| EV/EBITDA | 8.5x | 6.2x | 15.3x | — |
| EV/EBIT | 13.8x | 11.1x | 18.4x | — |
Earnings Yield
5.8%
FCF Yield
6.5%
Below Fair Value
40% of stocks
Profitability Profile
Margins
| Metric | Median | 5Y Avg | P25 | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 51.2% | 52.8% | 42.8% | 74.9% |
| Operating Margin | 2.1% | — | -10.4% | 16.7% |
| Net Margin | 4.2% | 6.0% | -10.9% | 13.9% |
| FCF Margin | 11.7% | — | -2.7% | 18.0% |
Returns on Capital
| Metric | Median | 5Y Avg | P25 | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 2.2% | — | -11.5% | 12.0% |
| ROA | 0.7% | — | -5.9% | 5.2% |
| ROIC | 4.3% | 4.4% | -6.1% | 10.2% |
Growth Metrics
| Metric | 1Y | 3Y CAGR | 5Y CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | +2.7% | +0.6% | +2.6% |
| EPS | +30.2% | +12.3% | +3.2% |
| Free Cash Flow | +5.0% | +5.7% | +2.1% |
All values represent sector median growth rates.
Balance Sheet Health
Debt / Equity
0.7x
Net Debt / EBITDA
2.5x
Interest Coverage
0.2x
Current Ratio
1.2x
Altman Z-Score
Safe (>3): 9 (12%)
Gray (1.8–3): 5 (7%)
Distress (<1.8): 62 (82%)
Piotroski F-Score
Strong (7–9): 20 (25%)
Moderate (4–6): 43 (53%)
Weak (0–3): 18 (22%)
Top Companies
| Symbol | #▲ | Mkt Cap | P/E | EV/EBITDA | ROIC | Net Mgn | Rev Gr. | Div Yld | YTD | Qual. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCZ | 1 | $241.2B | 11.1x | 8.3x | 8.8% | 16.2% | -0.0% | 2.2% | -2.7% | 5/9 |
| TMUS | 2 | $217.6B | 20.6x | 9.5x | 10.6% | 12.4% | +8.5% | 1.9% | -0.5% | 7/9 |
| VZ | 3 | $192.1B | 9.8x | 6.5x | 9.0% | 12.4% | +2.5% | 6.9% | -0.2% | 4/9 |
| T | 4 | $184.4B | 8.0x | 6.3x | 8.5% | 17.4% | +2.7% | 4.6% | +1.7% | 3/9 |
| TBB | 5 | $157.3B | 7.3x | 5.9x | — | 17.4% | +2.7% | 5.2% | +0.2% | 3/9 |
| VEON | 6 | $111.7B | 169.4x | — | 71.3% | 12.2% | +8.3% | 0.1% | — | 2/9 |
| CMCSA | 7 | $111.0B | 5.1x | 5.1x | 8.8% | 16.2% | -0.0% | 4.5% | -0.3% | 5/9 |
| AMX | 8 | $80.0B | — | — | 22.1% | 3.2% | +1.6% | — | +3.3% | 4/9 |
| AMXOF | 9 | $71.7B | — | — | 22.1% | 3.2% | +1.6% | — | 0.0% | 4/9 |
| WBD | 10 | $68.7B | 99.3x | 14.9x | 0.7% | 1.9% | -5.2% | — | +0.1% | 0/9 |
| OBEL-BR | 11 | $59.3B | 17.0x | 17.9x | 4.6% | 5.8% | +1.0% | 5.8% | — | 1/9 |
| FNCTF | 12 | $53.8B | — | — | 4.7% | 6.5% | +4.7% | — | -0.7% | 1/9 |
| SATS | 13 | $36.1B | — | — | -41.3% | -96.6% | -5.2% | — | +3.6% | 0/9 |
| CHT | 14 | $32.7B | — | — | — | 16.7% | -0.3% | — | +1.7% | 0/9 |
| CHTR | 15 | $31.2B | 5.7x | 5.7x | 9.0% | 9.1% | -0.6% | — | +3.5% | 5/9 |
| TMUSL | 16 | $28.9B | — | — | 10.3% | 13.9% | +3.6% | — | -1.0% | 2/9 |
| VIV | 17 | $26.8B | 17.1x | — | 8.9% | 10.4% | +4.1% | 2.1% | — | 1/9 |
| TMUSI | 18 | $25.8B | — | — | 10.3% | 13.9% | +3.6% | — | -0.7% | 2/9 |
| TMUSZ | 19 | $25.5B | — | — | 10.3% | 13.9% | +3.6% | — | +0.6% | 2/9 |
| ASTS | 20 | $25.3B | — | — | -12.6% | — | — | — | +2.3% | 0/9 |
Industry Composition
| Industry | Stocks | Market Cap | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) | 27 | $826.2B | 41.6% | |
| Cable & Other Pay Television Services | 19 | $503.7B | 25.4% | |
| Radiotelephone Communications | 12 | $451.6B | 22.7% | |
| Telecommunications Services | 6 | $117.2B | 5.9% | |
| Communications Services, Nec | 17 | $87.8B | 4.4% |
Quality Distribution
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Quality Score (0-9)
High Quality (7+)
2%
Median Piotroski F
5/9
Profitable Years
5 of 10
Dividends & Shareholder Returns
Paying Dividends
38%
Median Div Yield
3.4%
Median Buyback Yield
0.8%
Shareholder Yield
2.0%
Payout Ratio
49.8%
Div Growth (3Y)
0.0%
Div Growth (5Y)
1.9%
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- +[Profitability]High pricing power with a median gross margin of 51.2%, reflecting differentiated products or strong brand moats.
Weaknesses
- −[Financial Health]81.6% of companies fall in the Altman Z-Score distress zone (<1.8), indicating elevated bankruptcy risk within the sector.
- −[Leverage]Tight interest coverage at 0.2x, leaving limited cushion for debt servicing if earnings decline.
- −[Profitability]Below-average capital returns with a median ROIC of 4.3%, suggesting limited pricing power or capital-intensive operations.
- −[Quality]Only 2.5% of companies score 7+ on the quality checklist, reflecting structural challenges in achieving consistent returns across the sector.