Verizon and AT&T trade near 52-week extremes despite similar fiber expansion strategies and high-yield dividends.
Verizon Communications (VZ) nears its 52-week high at $46.95, up 19% year-to-date, while AT&T (T) hovers near its low at $23.21 following an Oppenheimer downgrade. Both companies report strong free cash flow, with Verizon targeting $21.5 billion and AT&T eyeing $45 billion in shareholder returns, supporting yields above 4.9%.
Verizon raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $4.95-$4.99, marking its first positive Q1 postpaid phone net additions since 2013. AT&T trades at a 10x forward multiple on guided EPS of $2.25-$2.35, with a double-digit three-year CAGR. Both firms are expanding fiber networks, with Verizon serving 16.8 million broadband connections post-Frontier deal and AT&T targeting 60 million fiber locations by 2030 after its Lumen acquisition.
Despite similar strategies, Verizon’s stock outperforms AT&T’s, which remains pressured by the recent downgrade. Both stocks await Q2 earnings for further direction.