U.S. Cellular Corporation (USM) scored on five pillars from its reported financial statements, and ranked against 80 Communication Services companies.
U.S. Cellular Corporation (USM) scores 4.1 out of 10 as of , computed from its reported financial statements. That reads as mixed quality. The reading rests on efficiency, and profitability is what holds it back.
Data provided by Twelve Data. Scores are computed by Lemma Analysis from reported financials.
We cannot judge U.S. Cellular Corporation yet, because fewer than five years had both a return on capital and a cost of capital we could measure. This is not a “no”.
Quantitative signs of a moat, read from the filed statements. This is not a judgement of where it comes from (brand, network effects, switching costs). How Lemma measures a moat →
As of October 19, 2026, U.S. Cellular Corporation scores 4.1 out of 10 on the Lemma Quality Score, a reading of mixed quality. In this band one or two pillars are usually holding the score up while others drag it down, which the breakdown below makes visible. Nothing in it comes from the share price or from forecasts: it is U.S. Cellular Corporation’s own reported numbers, scored pillar by pillar.
Ranked with the 80 Communication Services companies Lemma publishes, the score sits at the 42nd percentile, in the weaker half of its peers. For reference, the middle of the group scores 4.6 and a company needs 6.0 to reach its top quarter, which leaves U.S. Cellular Corporation below the median.
U.S. Cellular Corporation’s profitability score is 1.6 out of 10 (weak). Against a median of 3.7 among 77 Communication Services companies, that is well below the group and the 22nd percentile. Weak profitability means the business converts less of its sales and capital into profit than its peers, which can come from thin pricing power, high costs or a temporary squeeze.
U.S. Cellular Corporation’s solvency score is 3.7 out of 10 (weak). Against a median of 4.8 among 62 Communication Services companies, that is below the group and the 38th percentile. A low reading here is a question about resilience: how long the company could keep paying its obligations if earnings dropped.
On growth, U.S. Cellular Corporation scores 3.7, a weak reading. Its peers have a median of 4.7 across 64 Communication Services companies, which places it below them, at the 37th percentile. Weak growth means revenue and earnings have been flat or shrinking against peers, which can be cyclical or a sign of a market that is maturing.
On efficiency, U.S. Cellular Corporation scores 6.4, an average reading. Its peers have a median of 6.1 across 76 Communication Services companies, which places it in line with them, at the 55th percentile. An average efficiency reading suggests the business turns its assets and earnings into cash at roughly the rate its sector does.
Predictability scores 6.4 out of 10, which reads as average. The median across 80 Communication Services companies is 4.5, so U.S. Cellular Corporation is well above its peers on this pillar and ranks at the 90th percentile. Middling predictability suggests some volatility in the record, enough to read the other pillars with a little caution.
The gap between U.S. Cellular Corporation’s best and worst pillar is wide: efficiency at 6.4 against profitability at 1.6, 4.8 points apart. An average of two readings this different deserves a closer look than the headline number. Leading with efficiency points to disciplined use of capital, a strength that compounds quietly. Weak profitability can be cyclical, so it helps to know whether margins are at a low point or a long-run level.
Of everything that could lift U.S. Cellular Corporation’s score, profitability matters most. Bringing it up to the 3.7 median of Communication Services companies would take the overall from 4.1 to roughly 4.6. The weights add up to 100 points (profitability 25, solvency 20, growth 20, efficiency 15, predictability 20), and U.S. Cellular Corporation has a reading on every pillar.
For a fair comparison, start with companies of a similar size: the Communication Services companies below are nearest to U.S. Cellular Corporation by market value, each scored on the same pillars.
How much profit the company generates from its capital and sales.
The company’s ability to service debt and meet its obligations.
How fast revenue, earnings and cash flow are compounding.
How well assets and earnings convert into cash and output.
How stable and consistent results have been over time.
Each metric is scored from 0 to 10 against sector-aware benchmarks, where higher is better. Metrics roll up into five pillars, and the pillars combine into the overall score using the weights shown. Sector-sensitive metrics are judged relative to peers in the same sector.
This score is a systematic, backward-looking read of reported fundamentals. It does not judge valuation, management quality, competitive moat, or future prospects, and can be distorted by one-off items or unusual accounting. Treat it as a starting point, not a recommendation.
Educational only. Not investment advice.
On this reading U.S. Cellular Corporation scores 4.1 out of 10, which reads as mixed quality. Its strongest pillar is efficiency, its weakest is profitability. Quality is not the same as a good investment: the score says nothing about the price you would pay.
U.S. Cellular Corporation ranks at the 42nd percentile of the 80 Communication Services companies Lemma publishes a score for. The median there is 4.6 and the top quarter starts at 6.0, against U.S. Cellular Corporation’s 4.1.
Five pillars, each scored from 0 to 10 against sector-aware benchmarks and then weighted into one overall reading: profitability, solvency, growth, efficiency and predictability. Everything comes from reported financials, and nothing comes from price, sentiment or forecasts.
This page last changed on October 19, 2026. The score moves with the financial statements, so the page changes when a new filing moves the reading rather than on a schedule. Live figures for USM are in the app.
No. Quality and valuation are separate questions, and a good business at the wrong price is still a bad purchase. Score the business here, then price it with a DCF you control.
Inside Lemma Analysis the same five pillars run on every company we cover, with the metrics behind each one, current fundamentals, a DCF you control and a watchlist that tells you when the price catches up.
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