T-Mobile reported second-quarter earnings on Thursday that topped analyst estimates, driven by customers migrating to higher-priced wireless plans and growth in postpaid accounts.
Diluted earnings per share came in at $2.99, up 5% from a year earlier. That beat the analyst consensus estimate of $2.59 per share, according to MarketWatch. Net income rose 1% year-over-year to $3.2 billion, which included $146 million in costs tied to the UScellular merger, net of tax, the company said.
Total service revenues climbed 9% year-over-year to $19.0 billion, while postpaid service revenues rose 13% to $15.9 billion. The carrier added 277,000 net postpaid accounts in the quarter, above analyst estimates of 259,000, according to Reuters, citing data from Visible Alpha.
Average monthly postpaid revenue per account rose 2% year-over-year to $152.91, up from $149.87 in the same period last year, the company said.
The company has been phasing out legacy plans, shifting customers to updated tiers that bundle unlimited premium data with device-upgrade benefits. About 60% of new customers are adopting the most premium plans, Chief Operating Officer Jon Freier told Reuters.
T-Mobile lifted its full-year adjusted free cash flow outlook, guiding to $18.4 billion–$18.8 billion versus its earlier target of $18.1 billion–$18.7 billion. Chief Financial Officer Peter Osvaldik attributed the improvement to efficiencies in cash income taxes and working capital benefits from artificial intelligence tools, he told Reuters. The company’s operating cash flow guidance also moved higher, to a range of $28.4 billion to $28.8 billion from $28.1 billion to $28.7 billion.
Core adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, grew 12% year-over-year to $9.5 billion. Adjusted free cash flow rose 4% to $4.8 billion. The company spent $2.7 billion on property and equipment purchases in the quarter, up 13% from a year earlier.
T-Mobile returned $3.3 billion to stockholders in the second quarter through $2.2 billion in share repurchases and $1.1 billion in dividends, the company said.
T-Mobile shares slipped roughly 1.3% ahead of the opening bell.