For a while, I had been friendly to the idea of investing in AT&T (T). I used to be particularly attracted to (1) the company's shareholder-friendly and seemingly well-supported dividend policy, along with (2) its bolder and more diversified growth strategy that extended beyond communication services and into media production and distribution.
Credit: The Verge
But by April 2018, I had turned my back on the stock because the Dallas-based carrier appeared to be underperforming its peers. Even worse, the struggle had been taking place despite robust discretionary spending trends that seemed to