One Telecom Giant Raised Its Dividend for the 19th Year While Its Rival Splurged on a Massive Spectrum Deal

14 hours ago 1

William Temple

Mon, December 15, 2025 astatine 8:32 AM CST 4 min read

A ample surface successful a dark, modern boardroom displays a 'STOCK COMPARISON: VZ VS T' presentation. On the left, details for Verizon (VZ) see 'Main Growth Engine: Wireless Pricing Power', 'Management Focus: Customer-first culture', and 'Key Investment: Network Quality'. On the right, AT&T (T) lists 'Main Growth Engine: Fiber Broadband + Convergence', 'Management Focus: Multi-product bundling', and 'Key Investment: $23B Spectrum Purchase'. Below, a array summarizes these concern drivers for some companies.

Verizon reported $33.82B gross with 2.1% wireless work maturation but missed estimates.
AT&T’s fibre broadband gross surged 16.8% to $2.2B with 41% of fibre customers bundling mobile.
AT&T acquired $23B successful spectrum from EchoStar to grow 5G capacity.
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Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and AT&T (NYSE: T) conscionable reported Q3 results revealing 2 telecom giants chasing antithetic maturation paths. Verizon leaned connected wireless pricing subject and a caller CEO's customer-first mandate. AT&T stake connected fibre broadband convergence and a monolithic spectrum acquisition to substance its 5G future.

Verizon posted $33.82B successful revenue, missing estimates of $35.31B but increasing 1.5% year-over-year. Wireless work gross climbed 2.1% to $21.0B, driven by pricing power. Equipment gross jumped 5.2% to $5.6B arsenic instrumentality upgrade cycles accelerated. Net income surged to $5.06B from $3.41B a twelvemonth earlier. New CEO Dan Schulman emphasized a civilization displacement toward lawsuit retention, signaling Verizon volition prioritize prime implicit assertive acquisition.

AT&T delivered $30.70B successful revenue, somewhat beneath the $30.89B estimate, with 1.6% growth. Mobility work gross roseate 2.3% to $16.9B, but fibre broadband surged 16.8% to $2.2B. CEO John Stankey highlighted convergence success: 41% of fibre households present bundle AT&T Mobility service, underscoring the strategy to fastener customers into multi-product ecosystems. Net income deed $9.7B, though $9.3B came from the DIRECTV sale. Free currency travel reached $4.9B, and AT&T repurchased $1.5B successful shares portion announcing a $23B spectrum acquisition from EchoStar to bolster 5G capacity.

Business Driver	Verizon	AT&T
Main Growth Engine	Wireless pricing power	Fiber broadband + convergence
Management Focus	Customer-first culture	Multi-product bundling
Key Investment	Network quality	$23B spectrum purchase

Verizon's strategy centers connected protecting its premium web positioning. The institution raised its dividend for the 19th consecutive year, reinforcing its entreaty to income investors with a 6.77% yield. Guidance projects wireless work gross maturation of 2.0% to 2.8% and adjusted EBITDA maturation of 2.5% to 3.5%, with escaped currency travel expected betwixt $19.5B and $20.5B. Operating margins basal astatine 23.9%, the highest among peers, but nett margins lag AT&T astatine 14.4% versus 17.9%. High indebtedness limits flexibility for assertive expansion.