Telephone and Data SystemsTDS -0.01%64 WACC % is 2.18% as of Jun. 25, 2026, which is 61% below its 10-year median of 5.52. GuruFocus rates TDS with a GF Score™ of 64/100 and a GF Value™ of $32.86 (Modestly Overvalued). The stock has 5 warning signs investors should review. Among 378 Telecommunication Services companies, Telephone and Data Systems ranks better than 93.65% on this metric.
As of today (2026-06-25), Telephone and Data Systems's weighted average cost of capital is 2.18%%. Telephone and Data Systems's ROIC % is 0.24% (calculated using TTM income statement data).
Telephone and Data Systems earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital. It will destroy value as it grows.
For a comprehensive WACC calculation, please access the WACC Calculator.
Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE:TDS) WACC % Explanation
Because it costs money to raise capital. A firm that generates higher ROIC % than it costs the company to raise the capital needed for that investment is earning excess returns. A firm that expects to continue generating positive excess returns on new investments in the future will see its value increase as growth increases, whereas a firm that earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital will destroy value as it grows.
As of today, Telephone and Data Systems's weighted average cost of capital is 2.18%%. Telephone and Data Systems's ROIC % is 0.24% (calculated using TTM income statement data).
Telephone and Data Systems earns returns that do not match up to its cost of capital. It will destroy value as it grows.
Be Aware
1. GuruFocus uses book value of debt (D) to do the calculation. It is simplified by adding latest one-year quarterly average Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation and Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation together.
For companies that report quarterly, GuruFocus combines all of the most recent year's quarterly debt data from the beginning of the year to the year-end and calculates the average.
For companies that report semi-annually, GuruFocus combines all of the most recent year's semi-annual debt data from the start of the year to the year-end and calculates the average.
For companies that report annually, GuruFocus combines the beginning and ending annual debt data from the most recent year and then calculates the average.
2. The WACC formula discussed above does not include Preferred Stock. Please adjust if preferred stock is considered.
3. (Expected Return of the Market - Risk-Free Rate of Return) is also called market premium. GuruFocus requires market premium to be 6%.
4. GuruFocus uses the latest TTM Interest Expense divided by the latest one-year quarterly average debt to get the simplified cost of debt.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Telecom Services subindustry, Telephone and Data Systems's WACC %, along with its competitors' market caps and WACC % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Telephone and Data Systems WACC % vs Telecommunication Services Industry
For the Telecommunication Services industry and Communication Services sector, Telephone and Data Systems's WACC % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Telephone and Data Systems's WACC % falls into.
The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. The WACC is commonly referred to as the firm's cost of capital. Generally speaking, a company's assets are financed by debt and equity. WACC is the average of the costs of these sources of financing, each of which is weighted by its respective use in the given situation. By taking a weighted average, we can see how much interest the company has to pay for every dollar it finances.
WACC
=
E
/
(E + D)
*
Cost of Equity
+
D
/
(E + D)
*
Cost of Debt
*
(1 - Tax Rate)
1. Weights:
Generally speaking, a company's assets are financed by debt and equity. We need to calculate the weight of equity and the weight of debt.
The market value of equity (E) is also called "Market Cap". As of today, Telephone and Data Systems's market capitalization (E) is $4274.499 Mil.
The market value of debt is typically difficult to calculate, therefore, GuruFocus uses book value of debt (D) to do the calculation. It is simplified by adding the latest one-year quarterly average Short-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation and Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation together. As of Mar. 2026, Telephone and Data Systems's latest one-year quarterly average Book Value of Debt (D) is $2849.2894 Mil.
a) weight of equity = E / (E + D) = 4274.499 / (4274.499 + 2849.2894) = 0.6
b) weight of debt = D / (E + D) = 2849.2894 / (4274.499 + 2849.2894) = 0.4
2. Cost of Equity:
GuruFocus uses Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) to calculate the required rate of return. The formula is:
Cost of Equity = Risk-Free Rate of Return + Beta of Asset * (Expected Return of the Market - Risk-Free Rate of Return)
a) GuruFocus uses 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate as the risk-free rate. It is updated daily. The current risk-free rate is 4.386%. Please go to Economic Indicators page for more information. Please note that we use the 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate of the country/region where the company is headquartered. If the data for that country/region is not available, then we will use the 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate of the United States as default.
b) Beta is the sensitivity of the expected excess asset returns to the expected excess market returns. Telephone and Data Systems's beta is -0.6397.
c) (Expected Return of the Market - Risk-Free Rate of Return) is also called market premium. GuruFocus requires market premium to be 6%.
Cost of Equity = 4.386% + -0.6397 * 6% = 0.5478%
3. Cost of Debt:
GuruFocus uses latest TTM Interest Expense divided by the latest one-year quarterly average debt to get the simplified cost of debt.
As of Mar. 2026, Telephone and Data Systems's interest expense (positive number) was $134.915 Mil. Its total Book Value of Debt (D) is $2849.2894 Mil.
Cost of Debt = 134.915 / 2849.2894 = 4.735%.
4. Multiply by one minus TTM Tax Rate:
GuruFocus uses the most recent TTM Tax Expense divided by the most recent TTM Pre-Tax Income to calculate the tax rate. The calculated TTM tax rate is limited to between 0% and 100%. If the calculated tax rate is higher than 100%, it is set to 100%. If the calculated tax rate is less than 0%, it is set to 0%.
The latest calculated TTM Tax Rate = 7.571 / 346.143 = 2.19%.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Telephone and Data Systems (TDS) has a WACC % of 2.18% as of Jun. 25, 2026. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the average rate a company pays to finance assets. View historical data on Telephone and Data Systems and its competitors. This is 61% below median its historical median of 5.52. Over the past decade, Telephone and Data Systems' WACC % has ranged from 2.19 to 7.54. According to the industry distribution chart, Telephone and Data Systems ranks #24 out of 378 companies in the Telecommunication Services industry, placing it in the top 6.3%.
Is Telephone and Data Systems' WACC % too high?
Telephone and Data Systems' current WACC % of 2.18% is 61% below median its 10-year median of 5.52. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 2.19 to a high of 7.54. The Telecommunication Services industry median WACC % is 7.72. Telephone and Data Systems' value of 2.18% is 71.8% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Telephone and Data Systems ranks #24 out of 378 companies in the Telecommunication Services industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Telephone and Data Systems has a GF Score™ of 64/100 and is considered Modestly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Telephone and Data Systems' WACC % compare to AD and LBTYA?
According to the Telecommunication Services industry distribution chart, Telephone and Data Systems ranks #24 out of 378 companies for WACC %. This places Telephone and Data Systems in the top 6% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median WACC % is 7.72. Telephone and Data Systems' value of 2.18% is 71.8% below this benchmark. Historically, Telephone and Data Systems' own WACC % has ranged from 2.19 to 7.54 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 5.52 vs. the industry median of 7.72, Telephone and Data Systems has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good WACC % for a Telecommunication Services company?
The median WACC % among Telecommunication Services companies is 7.72, based on 378 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a WACC % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, WACC % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Telephone and Data Systems's current WACC % of 2.18% is 71.8% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high WACC % mean?
A high WACC % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the average rate a company pays to finance assets. View historical data on Telephone and Data Systems and its competitors. For the Telecommunication Services industry, the median WACC % is 7.72 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Telephone and Data Systems's current WACC % is 2.18%, which is 61% below median its own 10-year median of 5.52. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Telephone and Data Systems stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Telephone and Data Systems (TDS) is currently considered Modestly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $32.86, compared to a current price of $37.55 — trading 14.3% above its estimated fair value. The current WACC % is 2.18%, which is 61% below median its 10-year median of 5.52 and 71.8% below the Telecommunication Services industry median of 7.72. Telephone and Data Systems' overall GF Score™ is 64/100 with 5 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is WACC % calculated?
WACC % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Telephone and Data Systems (TDS), the current WACC % is 2.18% as of Jun. 25, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Telephone and Data Systems (TDS) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Telephone and Data Systems stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $37.55 is trading 14.3% above its estimated GF Value™ of $32.86.
GuruFocus considers Telephone and Data Systems to be Modestly Overvalued.
Key valuation signals for TDS:
WACC %: 2.18% (61% below median its 10-year median of 5.52)
GF Value™: $32.86 vs. price of $37.55 (14.3% above fair value)
Industry Position: 71.8% below the Telecommunication Services median (#24 of 378)
No single metric tells the full story. See the TDS stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Telephone and Data Systems Inc is a diversified telecommunications operator that provides communications services to customers through broadband, video, voice, and wireless connections. The company has two reportable segments: TDS Telecom and Array. The majority of its revenue is generated from the TDS Telecom segment, which generates revenue by providing broadband, video, voice, and wireless services. The Array segment generates its revenue mainly by leasing tower space on Array-owned towers to customers.
64GF Score
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