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Verizon Communications

VZ
52
Telecommunications Services · Communication Services
Price
$43.59
-0.29 (-0.66%)
Market Cap
$182.01B
Winston Score
52
Winston is curious
Mixed quality — meaningful strengths and weaknesses.

Share count rising — dilution

+2.0% over 4y

The company has issued more shares over this period, which dilutes each existing shareholder’s stake.

Diluted shares outstanding: 4.15B (2021) → 4.23B (2025)

Verizon Communications is one of the largest telecom companies in the United States. It sells wireless phone plans, home internet service, and business communication tools to everyday consumers, small businesses, and large corporations. The company owns and operates one of the biggest wireless networks in the country, covering hundreds of millions of people across the U.S.

Verizon makes most of its money from monthly subscription fees paid by wireless and broadband customers, with over 100 million wireless connections on its network. It operates almost entirely in the United States, which makes it heavily dependent on one market. Its main competitive advantage is its large, established network infrastructure, which is expensive and time-consuming for rivals to replicate. The key growth driver is expanding its fixed wireless home internet service using 5G technology, but the company also carries a significant amount of debt, which limits its financial flexibility and is a real risk for investors to watch.

Winston Score History

Politician Trades

49 trades / 12mo

24 Congressional buys and 25 sells on VZ in the last 12 months.

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Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+2.9% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

+3.4% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow EPS growth

R&D Spend

$0/ year

0.0% of revenue

Below sector average (12%)

Research and development spending

Insider Activity

0.1%ownership

Flat

Insiders holding steady — not selling despite ability to

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$8.4B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↓ Burn rate worsening

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth context

Verizon Communications is growing revenue at 3% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Gross Margin
60.3%
Premium pricing power — 60.3% gross margin
Operating Margin
23.9%
Excellent — 23.9% operating margin
ROCE
3.0%
Weak — 3.0% return on capital

ROIC between 0% and 5%. They earn a few cents back per dollar invested in the business.

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Growth

Sales YoY
+2.8%
Nearly flat sales (2.8% YoY)
EPS YoY
-2.8%
Earnings shrinking (-2.8% YoY)

Slight earnings drop. Typical near a cyclical low.

EPS Consistency
6/8 quarters
Earnings grew in most of the last 8 quarters

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Cash Flow

Cash Conversion
215%
Turns 215% of profit into real cash
FCF Margin
14.4%
Converts sales into free cash efficiently (14.4%)

FCF margin between 10% and 20%. Every $100 in sales becomes $10 to $20 in real cash.

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Stability

Debt / Equity
1.67
Elevated debt (1.67)
Interest Cover
4.22x
Adequate interest coverage (4.2x)

Interest coverage between 3 and 8. Profits cover interest several times over.

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Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)
10.6x
Attractive valuation — P/E 10.6

P/E in the normal range. Price is roughly $15 for every $1 of yearly profit.

P/E vs Forward
+3.1
GROWING
Earnings expected to grow meaningfully — cheaper on forward P/E (10.6 → 7.5)

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Dividends

Dividend Yield
6.51%
Healthy income — 6.51% yield

Yield above 6% — often a flag the market is pricing in a cut.

Dividend Growth
+3.1%
Dividend growing modestly (3.1% YoY)

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