New York, February 14, 2026, 17:26 (EST) — Markets are shut for the day.
- AT&T shares slipped Friday, with investors eyeing rates heading into the long weekend.
- January’s cooler inflation numbers brought mid-year rate-cut hopes back into focus, giving dividend-rich telecom stocks a lift.
- Rate-sensitive stocks face a big test next week—investors will be parsing Fed minutes and fresh inflation data.
AT&T Inc (T.N) slipped 0.4% to finish at $28.69 on Friday, trimming a bit off its rally for the month as traders adjusted positions ahead of the holiday-shortened week.
It’s rates in the spotlight. U.S. consumer prices didn’t climb as much as forecast in January, Friday’s data revealed, sending Treasury yields down. Still, investors aren’t settled on just how fast inflation is heading south. “Price pressures remain a little too hot for comfort,” Edward Jones senior economist James McCann said. Reuters
After the Presidents Day break, stocks are back in action Tuesday, and it’s shaping up to be a busy stretch. Personal consumption expenditures price index drops this week—watch that one, it’s the inflation metric the Fed watches closely. Add to that GDP and consumer sentiment figures due out. “We’re starting to get an embedded leadership shift that’s undeniable at this point,” said Mark Hackett, chief market strategist at Nationwide, flagging the sector rotation happening under the surface of the headline indexes. Reuters
Friday’s session didn’t shake off the tension. Communications services and tech trailed, the S&P 500 managed only a modest gain, and the Nasdaq dropped. “Large cap tech stocks continue to be an anchor on the market and any whiff of optimism continues to get rejected,” said Michael James, managing director at Rosenblatt Securities. Reuters
AT&T is up roughly 5.8% across the last five sessions, with most of that jump coming earlier in the week as defensive names drew steady interest. Shares have also rallied hard since late January, when a string of post-earnings gains sent the stock sharply higher.
Friday saw peers split. Verizon (VZ.N) slipped 0.9%. T-Mobile (TMUS.O) picked up 2.3%. That left AT&T squarely between the two among the major U.S. wireless players.
It’s been a busy stretch for fiber deals. Earlier this month, AT&T wrapped up its $5.75 billion cash acquisition of Lumen’s mass markets fiber unit, picking up over 1 million new fiber subscribers and extending its reach to more than 4 million additional fiber locations in 11 states. “AT&T Fiber … will be available to millions more people as we expand the service in 32 states,” CEO John Stankey said. AT&T Newsroom
AT&T, in its late-January earnings release, projected 2026 adjusted earnings at $2.25 to $2.35 a share and extended its ambitions for free cash flow, setting a goal of topping $21 billion by 2028. CEO Stankey also put out a fiber target, telling investors the company aims to reach over 40 million customer locations with fiber by the close of 2026.
The dividend still factors into the stock’s draw, and it’s also a reason for its moves when yields shift. AT&T pays out $0.2775 per share each quarter—that’s a yield near 3.9% based on Friday’s close.
But this trade can unravel quickly. Should inflation stay stubborn and yields rise again, investors might back off telecoms as “bond proxies.” At the same time, big network investments or harder competition on wireless pricing could pinch cash flow.
Coming up: Wednesday, Feb. 18, the Federal Reserve drops minutes from its Jan. 27–28 meeting at 2 p.m. ET. That will offer a new look at how policymakers are thinking about the rate path.
