AT&T INC. Company Announces Additional $4 Billion Accelerated Share Repurchase Agreement
DALLAS, March 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- John Stankey, president and chief operating officer of AT&T Inc.* (NYSE:T) and CEO, Warner Media LLC, spoke today at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference where he provided an update to shareholders.
5G and wireless trends. As of the end of February, AT&T's 5G network covers more than 80 million people and the company plans to have nationwide 5G coverage by the end of the second quarter of 2020.
Stankey also said that, based on expected 5G growth and HBO Max opportunities, mobility will continue to be the biggest driver of revenue growth and profitability. AT&T also expects FirstNet to contribute to wireless revenue growth, with FirstNet subscriber additions ramping as push-to-talk capabilities and new devices drive growth. The company expects wireless service revenues to grow by more than 2% in 2020.
HBO Max. Stankey said the company is still on track for a May launch of HBO Max. He said more than 10 million HBO subscribers on AT&T distribution platforms will be offered immediate access to HBO Max at launch.
Cost transformation initiatives. Stankey said AT&T has identified 10 categories of cost initiatives over the short-, mid- and long-term targeting double-digit billions of dollars in gross savings over the next three years.
Additional Accelerated Share Repurchase. AT&T also today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC to retire $4 billion of its common stock beginning in the second quarter through an accelerated share repurchase (ASR) agreement. This follows a similar $4 billion transaction under which the company is retiring shares in the current quarter. Repurchases under the new ASR agreement will begin in April.
AT&T has said it intends to use 50% to 70% of free cash flow after dividends to retire about 70% of the shares it issued to fund the acquisition of Time Warner — now WarnerMedia — by the end of 2022. Year to date in 2020, AT&T has raised $4 billion via the issuance of preferred shares. The company has continued to add preferred equity to its capital structure while at the same time reducing its outstanding shares of common stock under its share retirement program.
The two ASRs, combined with open market repurchases, are expected to bring total common shares retired in 2020 to more than 250 million through April, depending on market conditions. The company will provide an update on its share retirement program when it releases first quarter results on April 22, 2020.
AT&T ended 2019 with a net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio of about 2.5x. The company previously indicated that the timing of funding for share retirements may temporarily impact this ratio in 2020. But the company's guidance for net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA in the 2.0 to 2.25x range by the end of 2022 is unchanged.
The company remains confident in achieving its 2020 and long-term guidance.
*About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a diversified, global leader in telecommunications, media and entertainment, and technology. It executes in the market under four operating units. WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC Entertainment, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others. AT&T Communications provides more than 100 million U.S. consumers with entertainment and communications experiences across TV, mobile and broadband services. Plus, it serves nearly 3 million business customers with high-speed, highly secure connectivity and smart solutions. AT&T Latin America provides pay-TV services across 11 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean, and is the fastest growing wireless provider in Mexico, serving consumers and businesses. Xandr provides marketers with innovative and relevant advertising solutions for consumers around premium video content and digital advertising through its AppNexus platform.
AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc. Additional information is available at about.att.com. © 2020 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this news release contains financial estimates and other forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results might differ materially. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is contained in AT&T's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. AT&T disclaims any obligation to update and revise statements contained in this news release based on new information or otherwise.
This news release may contain certain non-GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations between the non-GAAP financial measures and the GAAP financial measures are available on the company's website at https://investors.att.com.
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SOURCE AT&T Inc.
