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Telephone And Data Systems

TDSWithin band

Held by 2 superinvestors.

Price$33.60
Holders2
Total value$427.8M

SEC 10-K · fundamentals

Business quality

as of 2025-12-31
Revenue growth
-77.9%
Net margin
-0.6%
ROE
-0.1%
FCF margin
18.6%
Revenue $5.12B → $1.07B · 6y
What makes a business high quality

Valuation · value band

In fair-value range

$31/ sh · growth-anchored intrinsic value
margin of safety
fair value
above fair value
$34
cheaperpricier

Zero-growth floor

$39

Central IV

$31

Optimistic top

$39

Telephone And Data Systems (TDS): A conservative value band $39 / sh (zero-growth floor to growth-capped optimistic top); central read about $31. Today’s price sits inside that band (price $34 as of 2026-08-21).

The middle figure is the main read. The right end is the optimistic case under the same conservative caps — not an absolute ceiling.

  • Recent earnings are below the multi-year average, so the band uses the lower run-rate.

Revenue growth 0% (history declining, capped at zero) · moat 0 yr · discount 10.6% · Zero-growth downside $39

Price as of 2026-08-21 · yahoo · DGS10 4.7% @ 2026-08-20.

Method & numbers

Price is at or below the reproducible tangible asset base ($39 / sh) — a rarer, harder floor.

Buybacks over the years shown roughly only offset stock-based-compensation dilution — read them as maintaining the share count, not a net return of capital.

Model cautions

  • Owner-earnings yield diverges sharply from the 10-year Treasury (over 300 bps).

A conservative intrinsic-value band (zero-growth floor to growth-capped DCF) plus a tangible asset floor — not investment advice, not a buy/sell signal, and not a price target.

Owner-earnings DCF $27.54 – $35.96 · Greenwald zero-growth $39.39 · zero-growth base $39.39 · reproduction $39.39

Moat Below asset base · terminal value 37% of present value · owner-earnings yield 10% vs 10Y 4.7%.

Graham earnings-power value (normalized NOPAT)

Normalized operating earnings net of maintenance capex are non-positive over the years shown; earnings power cannot be capitalized.

Normalized NOPAT = average operating margin over the years shown × latest-year revenue × (1 − normalized tax); then + D&A − maintenance capex (write A). Unlevered (pre-interest, attributable to all capital). Capitalized at the 9–11% rate band (read as a WACC proxy). Enterprise → equity bridge applied: + cash − total debt.

Years: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021

v1 simplifications: Maintenance capex (degraded) deducted in full cash (write A): EPV = (NOPAT + D&A − maintenance capex) / WACC; no tax shield on the capex term. Maintenance-capex methods diverge by 1281% (> 50%); estimate is degraded. Share-based compensation is left as a real expense (not added back). Operating margin is below its multi-year average (cyclical/declining): normalized margin capped at the latest year — no peak-margin capitalization (audit #2).

Buffett owner-earnings value$30.04 – $36.72 / sh

Owner earnings = average net income + average D&A − maintenance capex (zero-growth floor; no ΔNWC). Levered (starts from net income, already after interest — an equity-holder stream). Capitalized at the 9–11% rate band (read as a cost-of-equity proxy). No enterprise→equity bridge: the capitalized result is already equity value (subtracting debt would double-count interest).

Years: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021

v1 simplifications: Owner earnings = net income + D&A − maintenance capex (degraded); the working-capital change is excluded (maintenance ΔNWC ≈ 0; growth ΔNWC is carried in growth value, not double-counted). Maintenance-capex methods diverge by 1281% (> 50%); estimate is degraded. One-time items are not separately normalized (multi-year averaging smooths them partially). Share-based compensation is left as a real expense (not added back); see the SBC/OE disclosure. Capitalized at the 9–11% band as a cost-of-equity proxy; no leverage premium applied (net cash or debt within the no-charge range).

Reproduction value = tangible net assets $4.67B = $39.39 / sh. Tangible net assets = shareholders' equity − goodwill − intangibles, ÷ diluted shares (no R&D history to capitalize).

Moat reading: Franchise test compares earnings power (EPV) against reproduction value on both AV_conservative (tangible + capitalized R&D) and AV_reproduction (conservative + acquired-reset proxy). Both must clear the franchise multiple for a moat signal; near it, a commodity; below it, value destruction. A directional reading, not a verdict.

Growth value gated to zero — no moat or ROIIC ≤ WACC, so no growth value is credited.

Window FY 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 · discount band 9%–11% · normalized tax 0% (Average effective tax rate over 5 year(s), capped at the statutory 21%.) · diluted shares.

Owner-earnings DCF: growth g₁ 0% (history declining → capped at 0) · OE FY 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 · Discount band: 9.19%–12.00% (DGS10 +4.5% to a 12% strict end, as of 2026-08-20). No enterprise→equity bridge: owner earnings already flow to shareholders (post-interest), so no net cash is added and no debt subtracted — matching the engine owner-earnings lamp.

How to read intrinsic value

SEC 13F · holders

Superinvestors Holding This Security

2 holders · $427.8M combined · this quarter +0 opened / -0 exited

This quarter1 added1 trimmed
Holders 1 → 2 · last 8q
  • Daniel Loeb
    Value$232.2MWeight (prev→now)13.3% → 5.0% ▼
  • Howard Marks
    Value$195.5MWeight (prev→now)3.2% → 3.7% ▲

SEC 13F · notes

Written summary

Telephone And Data Systems (TDS) is held by 2 of the superinvestors tracked on Compounder, with a combined $427.8M in reported 13F value. The largest position belongs to Daniel Loeb, where it makes up 5.0% of the portfolio.

Other notable holders by value include Howard Marks (3.7% of its book).

Over the latest quarter, 0 of the tracked filers opened a new position in TDS, 1 added to existing ones, 1 trimmed, and 0 sold out entirely.

Holder counts and values reflect the most recent SEC Form 13F filings, through the quarter ended 2026-06-30. Source: SEC EDGAR. A 13F shows only long US-listed positions and can lag the real portfolio by up to 45 days, so this is disclosed long ownership, not a complete picture.

How to read a 13F

SEC 13F · co-ownership

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Also on

Sources· SEC EDGAR 13F as of 2026-06-30 · filed 2026-08-14

Educational data only — not investment advice. 13F positions are self-reported and can lag up to 45 days.

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