T-Mobile wireless subscriber additions top estimates, sending shares higher

Investing.com - T-Mobile US added more wireless subscribers than anticipated in the fourth quarter and provided an upbeat outlook for 2025, in a sign of enduring strength in demand for its discounted plans offering bundled streaming services such as Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX).

Shares in T-Mobile US (NASDAQ:TMUS) surged by more than 8% in premarket U.S. trading on Wednesday.

The telecom group's high-speed 5G plans are often more affordable than those from rivals like AT&T (NYSE:T) and Verizon (NYSE:VZ), while its premium products such as Go5G Next (LON:NXT) and Go5G Plus includes perks like streaming video.

Postpaid phone net customers increased by 903,000 during the quarter ended on December 31, topping Bloomberg consensus estimates of 864,539.

In a statement, CEO Mike Sievert said the firm was also issuing the "strongest start-of-year" guidance for bill-paying net customer additions in its history.

Postpaid net subscribers are seen rising by 5.50 million to 6 million, surpassing analysts' expectations of 5.23 million, according to Bloomberg consensus estimates. In 2024, the figure came in at 6.1 million, above T-Mobile US's previously-improved guidance range. 

Quarterly revenue jumped by 6.8% versus the year-ago period to $21.87 billion, compared with projections of $21.35 billion. Earnings per share for the period was $2.57.

Meanwhile, adjusted free cash flow, a key metric used to help determine dividend payouts, was $4.1 billion in the quarter and $17 billion in 2024. For the current year, the gauge is seen at $17.30 billion to $18 billion, above Bloomberg forecasts at the midpoint.

T-Mobile previously projected that the number would be between $18 billion to $19 billion in 2027.

In December, T-Mobile US said it would repurchase as much as $14 billion in shares by the end of 2025 as part of a three-year push to return up to $50 billion to stakeholders. The company, along with AT&T and Verizon, are some of the biggest dividend payers in the U.S.