TDS vs CMCSA Stock Comparison

Telephone & Data Systems and Comcast Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CMCSA Comcast Corp
$21.84 -0.3% 1M -25.8% 1Y
Market cap
$77.31B
P/E
6.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$123.01B
Div. yield
6.04%
Broadband and Cable Communication Services
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Comcast leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Comcast 6, Telephone & Data Systems 6). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionTDSCMCSALeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $4.11B $77.31B CMCSA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 11.7x 6.9x CMCSA
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 9.2x 6.4x CMCSA
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +3.8% -0.2% TDS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 27.7% 9.2% TDS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 6.6% 7.8% CMCSA
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -1.8x 2.4x TDS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.45% 6.04% CMCSA
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -8.7% -25.8% TDS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +13.9%/yr -15.9%/yr TDS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 30.6% 34.3% TDS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 58/100 66/100 CMCSA

Percentile Scorecard

TDSCMCSA

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisTDSCMCSA
Valuation 52 #24 of 49 92 #5 of 49
Growth 59 #19 of 45 23 #35 of 45
Profitability 57 #20 of 45 68 #15 of 45
Financial Health 98 #2 of 49 60 #20 of 49
Shareholder Returns 22 #29 of 37 86 #6 of 37
Overall 58 66
  • TDS ranked among 51 companies in Telecommunications
  • CMCSA ranked among 51 companies in Telecommunications

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodTDSCMCSASPY
1 month -0.5%-0.3% -0.2%
3 months +5.0%-9.7% +3.9%
6 months -19.7%-21.0% +8.2%
Year to date -12.9%-26.9% +12.9%
1 year -8.7%-25.8% +12.3%
3 years +100.6%-44.9% +87.4%
3 years, per year +26.1%-18.0% +23.3%
5 years +91.8%-57.9% +67.9%
5 years, per year +13.9%-15.9% +10.9%
10 years +35.4%-29.0% +261.1%
10 years, per year +3.1%-3.4% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureTDSCMCSASPY
Volatility, 1Y 30.6%34.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 30.7%40.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.510.02 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.28-0.75 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -68.4%-61.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -25.0%-32.8% -1.2%
52-week high $47.59$32.48 $779.14
52-week low $32.96$20.66 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleTDSCMCSA
P/E now vs peer median 11.7xmedian 11.8x 6.9xmedian 11.8x
P/S now vs peer median 3.3xmedian 1.1x 0.6xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 3.2xmedian 6.8x 4.7xmedian 6.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median -9.7xmedian 5.9x 3.9xmedian 5.9x
P/B now vs peer median 0.8xmedian 1.2x 0.8xmedian 1.2x
PEG now vs peer median 0.15median 0.24 -1.49median 0.24

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsTDSCMCSA
Revenue $1.26B $123.01B
Gross profit $746.62M –
Operating income $465.89M $18.10B
Net income $544.60M $11.32B
Free cash flow -$424.28M $19.67B
EPS (diluted) $3.00 $3.18
Cash & equivalents $2.19B $7.60B
Total debt $680.09M $87.40B
Shares (diluted) 116.29M 3.56B
Enterprise value -$918.35M $43.27B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricTDSCMCSA
P/E 11.7x 6.9x
P/FCF -9.7x 3.9x
P/Operating cash flow 30.7x 2.4x
P/S 3.3x 0.6x
P/B 0.8x 0.8x
P/Tangible book 1.1x 2.3x
EV/EBITDA 3.2x 4.7x
EV/EBIT 5.6x 8.7x
EV/Revenue 2.1x 1.3x
EV/FCF -6.1x 8.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 19.4x 5.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.15 -1.49

Growth

14 metrics
MetricTDSCMCSA
Revenue growth (1Y) 3.8% -0.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -38.2% 0.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.5% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -35.6% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 360.1% -18.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 161.7% -8.1%
Net income growth (1Y) 1,371% -49.9%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 174.9% -9.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 413.1% -48.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 77.2% -4.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -88.1% -3.5%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -47.7% 3.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -139.9% -6.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -8.8% 7.2%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricTDSCMCSA
Gross margin 59.4% –
EBITDA margin 65.4% 27.3%
Operating margin 37.0% 14.7%
Pretax margin 61.4% 11.3%
Net margin 27.7% 9.2%
FCF margin -33.7% 16.0%
Operating cash flow margin 10.6% 25.8%
Return on equity 10.0% 11.9%
Return on assets 6.4% 4.2%
Return on invested capital 6.6% 7.8%
Return on capital employed 6.1% 8.0%
Asset turnover 0.2x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.2x 2.8x
Stock comp / revenue 1.4% 1.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricTDSCMCSA
Debt / assets 8.1% 33.9%
Debt / equity 0.1x 0.9x
Net debt / EBITDA -1.8x 2.4x
Debt / FCF -1.6x 4.4x
Liabilities / assets 35.6% 64.1%
Equity / assets 64.4% 35.9%
Interest coverage 6.1x 4.3x
Current ratio 3.8x 0.8x
Quick ratio 3.7x 0.7x
Cash ratio 3.6x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 1.75 1.30

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricTDSCMCSA
Dividend yield 0.4% 6.0%
Net buyback yield – 5.2%
Shareholder yield 0.4% 11.3%
Payout ratio (earnings) 16.1% –
Payout ratio (FCF) -20.6% –
Dividend growth (1Y) 0.5% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -16.6% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusTDSCMCSA
Forward P/E 9.2xFY2026 6.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.90FY2026 $3.40FY2026
EPS growth, next FY – -21.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -94.6% +10.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.32BFY2026 $114.72BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +7.2%FY2026 -7.3%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -8.3% +4.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersTDSCMCSA
Held by institutions 92.5% 88.7%
Institutions holding 348 1,884
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.4% +2.7%
Institutions buying 182 832
Institutions selling 113 858
Buyers to sellers 1.61 0.97

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

TDSCMCSA
TDS 1.00 0.17
CMCSA 0.17 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, TDS and CMCSA?

Comcast (CMCSA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) $4.11B, Comcast (CMCSA) $77.31B.

Which stock is cheaper, TDS and CMCSA?

Comcast (CMCSA) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) 11.7x, Comcast (CMCSA) 6.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Comcast (CMCSA) is cheapest (Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) 9.2x, Comcast (CMCSA) 6.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) +3.8%, Comcast (CMCSA) -0.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) has the highest net margin (Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) 27.7%, Comcast (CMCSA) 9.2%). On return on invested capital, Comcast (CMCSA) leads (Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) 6.6%, Comcast (CMCSA) 7.8%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) returned the most: Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) -8.7%, Comcast (CMCSA) -25.8%. Over five years, Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) compounded fastest (Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) +13.9%/yr, Comcast (CMCSA) -15.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Comcast (CMCSA) has the highest dividend yield: Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) 0.45%, Comcast (CMCSA) 6.04%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) has been the steadiest (Telephone & Data Systems (TDS) 30.6%, Comcast (CMCSA) 34.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Do TDS and CMCSA move together?

Their daily returns over the past year have a correlation of 0.17, a weak relationship. Holding both diversifies more than two closely linked stocks would.

Which is the better stock, TDS and CMCSA?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Comcast (CMCSA) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.