T-Mobile Paid $158.68 A Share For October Buybacks, Down From $177.31 In The Third Quarter
The wireless carrier bought back 4,987,500 shares in October for $791 million while paying a bigger dividend and settling a Mint Mobile earnout.
T-Mobile US, the wireless carrier behind the T-Mobile, Metro and Mint Mobile brands, repurchased 4,987,500 shares from October 1 through October 23 at an average $158.68, or $791 million in all, its 10-Q filed Wednesday shows. In the third quarter it had bought 13,621,695 shares at an average $177.31, for $2.4 billion.
Buybacks, dividend and an earnout
As of October 23, up to $4.6 billion remained under the 2026 stockholder return program, which covers buybacks and dividends through December 31. On September 30 the remaining room was $5.4 billion. The board raised the program's ceiling to $18.2 billion in April.
The board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.17 per share on September 24, up from $1.02 in the three earlier 2026 payouts. It is payable December 10 to holders of record on November 25. In the third quarter T-Mobile paid $1.1 billion in dividends.
The $420 million Mint Mobile (Ka'ena) earnout was paid off October 9, split between $164 million of cash and 1,510,371 newly transferred shares. It withheld 102,164 shares for tax obligations. A June 2025 amendment had set the earnout at the $1.35 billion maximum price less the upfront payment, removing the performance targets.
Cash flow and the financing squeeze
Operating cash flow was $7,341 million in the third quarter, down 2% from $7,457 million a year earlier. For the nine months it rose 4% to $22,063 million. Adjusted free cash flow rose 5% to $5,071 million in the quarter.
Net cash used in financing was $16,470 million for the nine months, against $8,250 million a year earlier. Repurchases took $9,564 million, debt repayments $9,138 million and dividends $3,310 million, while new long-term debt brought in $6,891 million. Cash and equivalents stood at $5,620 million on September 30.
Growth behind the payouts
Revenue for the quarter rose 7% to $23,584 million, and net income climbed 27% to $3,455 million. Postpaid net account additions fell to 274 thousand from 396 thousand, and postpaid account churn rose to 1.09% from 0.97%. The company blamed more broadband-only accounts, which churn more, and the temporary effect of its rate plan changes.
Deutsche Telekom held about 55.0% of the stock as of October 23, according to the filing.
Management said in the filing that it expects the program to run through December 31, with $4.6 billion of room left as of October 23.
Sources
- 10-Q Filing — T-Mobile US (TMUS) — SEC EDGAR
- 10-Q Filing — T-Mobile US (TMUS), Q2 FY2026 filed 2026-07-23 (comparison basis) — SEC EDGAR
- 8-K Filing — T-Mobile US, filed 2026-10-28 (Items 5.02) — SEC EDGAR
- Earnings release (8-K Item 2.02, tmus09302026ex991.htm) — T-Mobile US, filed 2026-10-28 — SEC EDGAR
- Is Current Price Of T-Mobile Stock A Strong Support? — Yahoo Finance
- What Does T Mobile US (TMUS) Winning Network Honors And Launching T Mix Mean? — Yahoo Finance
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