We downgrade our recommendation for MetroPCS (PCS) to Underperform, which reflects the company’s disappointing results in the last quarter. Reported earnings missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, partly due to higher operating expenses.

Moreover, subscriber growth decelerated significantly on a sequential basis, hurt by intense competition in the prepaid wireless segment. MetroPCS contends with high churn (customer switch) levels due to increased customer defection as its larger peers continue to lure subscribers with competitive service plans and better product offerings.

We are also concerned about the highly leveraged balance sheet, which may limit the company’s ability to invest in growth initiatives moving forward.Zacks Investment Research