LIVE
USM
United States Cellular Corporation · Communication Services - Rural Wireless
N/A
N/A this month
VERSUS
⟷
COMPARE
TMUS
T-Mobile US, Inc. · Communication Services - Wireless
$181.67
-6.07% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
USM
0
TMUS
0
Comparison scoreboard
MIXED SETUPAI Score
USM N/A
TMUS 51.0
1Y Return
USM N/A
TMUS -17.96%
Fwd P/E
USM N/A
TMUS 13.53
Target Up.
USM N/A
TMUS +37.92%
Op. Margin
USM N/A
TMUS 24.01%
Metrics last refreshed: 6/20/2026
Quick take
USM vs TMUS Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
USM (UScellular) is a small rural wireless carrier that has agreed to be acquired by T-Mobile, while TMUS (T-Mobile) is the U.S. wireless industry's growth leader that revolutionized the market with Un-carrier positioning and mid-band 5G deployment. UScellular's strategic value was ultimately validated by T-Mobile's acquisition interest in its rural spectrum assets.
USM vs TMUS is rural wireless carrier exit (UScellular's spectrum assets being absorbed by T-Mobile) versus dominant wireless growth leader (T-Mobile's continued subscriber share gains and fixed wireless access expansion) — an acquirer and acquiree comparison in the wireless industry.
Live analysis · updated 6/20/2026
USM and TMUS are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly.
Normalized 1Y performance
USM
TMUS
Not enough data to chart yet.
Recent returns
USM
TMUS
Analyst price targets & sentiment
USM
Price target data unavailable
N/A
TMUS · 27 analysts
STRONG BUYHOLDSTRONG SELL
Buy (2.1/5.0)
Price target range
analyst low$202.99
analyst high$305.00
analyst mean$260.81
current price$181.67
+37.9% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
USM may suit investors who:
- →Want to participate in the T-Mobile acquisition of UScellular's wireless operations and spectrum assets as a pending corporate transaction
- →Value UScellular's rural spectrum holdings as strategically valuable to national carriers seeking to expand rural 5G coverage
- →Note that UScellular as an independent wireless carrier may cease to exist as a public entity after the T-Mobile deal closes
TMUS may suit investors who:
- →Want the wireless growth leader that has consistently taken the most postpaid phone net adds in the U.S. while expanding into fixed wireless broadband using 5G infrastructure
- →Value T-Mobile's mid-band 5G spectrum advantage (from Sprint merger) as providing a faster network experience that supports premium subscriber acquisition and retention
- →See fixed wireless access as a major long-term revenue expansion opportunity as T-Mobile captures home broadband customers from cable companies
Performance & AI score
| Metric | USM | TMUS |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | N/A | 51.0 |
| AI rank | N/A | #403 |
| Latest close | N/A | $181.67 |
| 1M return | N/A | -6.07% |
| 6M return | N/A | -8.88% |
| 1Y return | N/A | -17.96% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | USM | TMUS |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | N/A | $8.22K (-17.8%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | N/A | $13.04K (+30.4%) started 2021-06-21 |
| 10Y ago | N/A | $44.93K (+349.3%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | USM | TMUS |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | N/A | $204.64B |
| Trailing P/E | N/A | 20.07 |
| Forward P/E | N/A | 13.53 |
| Price/Sales | 1.74 | 3.38 |
| EV/Revenue | N/A | 3.57 |
| Analyst target | N/A | $260.81 |
| Target upside | N/A | +37.92% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | USM | TMUS |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | N/A | 10.60% |
| Earnings growth | N/A | -12.00% |
| EPS growth | N/A | -12.00% |
| FCF margin | N/A | +12.31% |
| Operating margin | N/A | 24.01% |
| Profit margin | N/A | 11.65% |
| ROIC proxy | N/A | 18.02% |
| Return on equity | N/A | 18.02% |
| Dividend yield | N/A | 2.16% |
| Beta | -0.87 | 0.30 |
| Debt/equity | N/A | 218.57 |
| Current ratio | N/A | 1.09 |
| Quick ratio | N/A | 0.70 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
USM max drawdownN/A
TMUS max drawdown31.66%
USM max wkly dropN/A
TMUS max wkly drop7.87%
5Y risk snapshot
USM max drawdownN/A
TMUS max drawdown35.12%
USM max wkly dropN/A
TMUS max wkly drop11.17%
10Y risk snapshot
USM max drawdownN/A
TMUS max drawdown35.12%
USM max wkly dropN/A
TMUS max wkly drop14.58%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | USM | TMUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | N/A | -17.79% |
| CAGR | N/A | -17.82% | |
| Sharpe ratio | N/A | -0.85 | |
| Max drawdown | N/A | 31.66% | |
| Max daily drop | N/A | 3.97% | |
| Max wkly drop | N/A | 7.87% | |
| 5Y | Growth | N/A | +27.54% |
| CAGR | N/A | +4.99% | |
| Sharpe ratio | N/A | 0.14 | |
| Max drawdown | N/A | 35.12% | |
| Max daily drop | N/A | 11.22% | |
| Max wkly drop | N/A | 11.17% | |
| 10Y | Growth | N/A | +339.39% |
| CAGR | N/A | +15.96% | |
| Sharpe ratio | N/A | 0.53 | |
| Max drawdown | N/A | 35.12% | |
| Max daily drop | N/A | 11.22% | |
| Max wkly drop | N/A | 14.58% |
Business comparison
| Category | USM | TMUS |
|---|---|---|
| Company | United States Cellular Corporation | T-Mobile US, Inc. |
| Sector | Communication Services - Rural Wireless | Communication Services |
| Industry | N/A | Telecom Services |
| Core business | UScellular (formerly US Cellular) is a regional wireless carrier primarily serving rural and smaller-market customers in the Midwest, Southeast, and Pacific Northwest — focusing on markets that the three national carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) underserve or deprioritize. | T-Mobile is the largest U.S. wireless carrier by postpaid phone net adds — having taken #1 subscriber growth status through its Un-carrier strategy (eliminating contracts, hidden fees), the Sprint merger, and aggressive 5G mid-band network deployment that has created a significant speed advantage over AT&T and Verizon's initial 5G builds. |
| Investor focus | Investors track UScellular's subscriber count, ARPU, rural market competitive dynamics, and the T-Mobile spectrum sale process — UScellular agreed to sell its wireless operations and spectrum to T-Mobile, pending regulatory approval. | Investors track T-Mobile's postpaid phone net adds (the industry growth leader), service revenue per account, EBITDA margin, free cash flow conversion, and the fixed wireless access (FWA) subscriber additions that have transformed T-Mobile into a significant home broadband provider. |
USM strengths
- →Rural wireless positioning in markets with less direct competitive pressure from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile's densest network builds
- →Long-standing relationships with rural and small-town customers in markets where the carrier has served communities for decades
- →Spectrum assets across rural geographies have value to national carriers seeking to fill coverage gaps — the T-Mobile acquisition reflects this strategic value
TMUS strengths
- →Industry-leading subscriber growth through the Un-carrier positioning and price competitiveness that has consistently taken share from AT&T and Verizon in postpaid phone
- →Mid-band 5G spectrum advantage — T-Mobile acquired substantial 2.5 GHz spectrum through the Sprint merger, enabling significantly faster 5G coverage than competitors' initial millimeter wave builds
- →Fixed wireless access (FWA) leadership — T-Mobile is the fastest-growing home internet provider in the U.S. using excess 5G capacity to offer competitive broadband service
Risks to watch — USM
- →UScellular agreed to sell its wireless operations and spectrum to T-Mobile — the company is in an acquisition process and may no longer be an independent public company upon deal close
- →Rural wireless markets face increasing competition from T-Mobile's expanded coverage and fixed wireless access from satellite internet (Starlink) reducing urban-rural digital divide
- →UScellular is a much smaller scale company than the three national carriers — cost structure and spectrum efficiency disadvantages have been challenging
Risks to watch — TMUS
- →T-Mobile must evolve its disruptor brand identity as it has become the largest-subscriber wireless carrier in some metrics — maintaining the scrappy challenger positioning while being a market leader is challenging
- →Subscriber growth tailwind from Sprint integration is largely captured — future growth must come from market-level growth, upgrades, and further share gains rather than the post-merger synergy opportunity
- →AT&T's fiber build and Verizon's continued network investments mean T-Mobile's network advantage may narrow as competitors close the 5G coverage and speed gap
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