AT&T Reports Strong Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Financial Performance Driven by Growth in Converged Fiber and 5G Customers

Core Insights - AT&T reported strong financial performance for Q4 and full-year 2025, meeting or exceeding all consolidated financial guidance, driven by growth in converged fiber and 5G customers [1][2][3] - The company returned over $12 billion to shareholders in 2025 and expects to return an additional $45 billion+ from 2026-2028 [1][2] - AT&T's customer-centric, investment-led strategy has resulted in increased profitability and high customer satisfaction, with 42% of AT&T Fiber households also choosing AT&T for wireless services [1][3] Fourth-Quarter Results - Free cash flow was $4.2 billion, up from $4.0 billion in the previous year [2][3] - Revenues reached $33.5 billion, a 3.6% increase year-over-year, driven by higher mobility and consumer wireline revenues [3][4] - Net income was $4.2 billion, with adjusted EBITDA of $11.2 billion, compared to $10.8 billion in the year-ago quarter [2][3] Full-Year Results - Free cash flow for the full year was $16.6 billion, compared to $15.3 billion in 2024 [2][3] - Total revenues for 2025 were $125.6 billion, up 2.7% from $122.3 billion in 2024 [3][4] - Net income attributable to common stock was $21.9 billion, significantly up from $10.7 billion in the previous year [3][4] Segment Performance - Consumer Wireline fiber revenues increased by 13.6% year-over-year, contributing to strong broadband growth [3][4] - Mobility service revenues grew by 2.4% year-over-year, with 421,000 postpaid phone net adds [2][3] - Business Wireline revenues declined by 7.5% due to pressures on legacy services, partially offset by growth in fiber and advanced connectivity services [4][5] Long-Term Outlook - AT&T anticipates improved growth in adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EPS through 2028, with adjusted EPS expected to be between $2.25 and $2.35 in 2026 [2][3] - The company expects free cash flow to exceed $18 billion in 2026, $19 billion in 2027, and $21 billion in 2028 [2][3] - AT&T plans to maintain its annualized common stock dividend of $1.11 per share while executing share repurchases totaling approximately $8 billion during 2026 [2][3] Capital Allocation - The company expects to return over $45 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases from 2026 to 2028 [1][2] - AT&T's net debt-to-adjusted EBITDA ratio is projected to increase to approximately 3.2x following acquisitions and decline to around 3x by the end of 2026 [2][3] - The company aims to reduce net leverage to its target range of 2.5x within three years following the closing of its acquisitions [2][3]