Verizon has the lowest share price among the Dow's 30 components -- and that's a dangerous place to be in a share price-weighted index. In May, the iconic Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI -0.37%) celebrated its 129th "birthday" since its official inception. Over this time, we've witnessed the Dow blossom from an industrial stock-dominated 12- component index to one that now houses 30 diverse, time-tested, multinational businesses. Although the Dow Jones is still viewed as a barometer of Wall Street's heal ...

Group 1: Ares Capital - Ares Capital is the largest publicly traded business development company (BDC) with over $17 billion invested since 2004, focusing on middle-market companies with annual revenues between $10 million and $1 billion [3][4] - The company offers a forward dividend yield of 8.63% and has maintained or grown its dividend for 63 consecutive quarters [3][4] - Ares Capital targets a total addressable market of approximately $5.4 trillion, benefiting from a shift towards private capital, and has a diversified portfolio with strong industry relationships and risk management [4][5] Group 2: Enterprise Products Partners - Enterprise Products Partners is a master limited partnership (MLP) leading the North American midstream energy industry, operating over 50,000 miles of pipeline [6][7] - The company has a forward distribution yield of 6.81% and has increased its distribution for 26 consecutive years [7][8] - Demand for oil and gas, particularly natural gas, is expected to grow for decades, ensuring strong demand for Enterprise Products Partners' pipelines [8][9] Group 3: Verizon Communications - Verizon Communications is a major telecommunications company serving millions globally, with a forward dividend yield of 6.22% and a history of increasing dividends for 18 consecutive years [10][11] - The company is expected to maintain its relevance in the market due to the high capital requirements for new competition in wireless services [11][12] - With the upcoming 6G technology, Verizon is anticipated to be a significant player, potentially leading to impressive growth opportunities in the future [12]

The telecom company Verizon Communications (VZ -0.24%) enjoyed a solid first half of 2025, with its stock up nearly 9%, soundly beating the broader benchmark S&P 500 index, which is up 1%. It's been a difficult last five years for the stock, as the company tries to rejuvenate growth and forge a path ahead. In 2025, management is guiding for continued growth in wireless service revenue; an increase in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), and higher growth in post ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Verizon reported a 2.7% increase in wireless service revenue and a 4% increase in EBITDA for Q1 [6][29] - The company expects the price hikes implemented in 2024 and January 2025 to generate approximately $1.1 billion in revenue for 2025 [15][29] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Overall phone net additions, including consumer, business postpaid, and prepaid, increased by about 90,000 year-on-year [6][11] - In Q1, consumer postpaid phone net losses were impacted by competitive factors and price increases, but gross adds showed high single-digit growth in March and continued into Q2 [16][20] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The competitive landscape saw Verizon's competitors maintaining holiday promotions longer than expected, affecting customer acquisition [11][15] - Verizon's customer base remains premium, with no year-on-year change in involuntary churn and improved quality metrics for new customers [22] Company Strategy and Development Direction - Verizon's strategy includes a three-year price lock and free phone offers to enhance customer retention and acquisition [17][20] - The company aims to continue investing in its network to maintain its position as the provider of the best network experience [23][25] - Verizon is focused on cross-selling opportunities between its mobile and broadband services, particularly with the upcoming Frontier acquisition [39][46] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in returning churn to business-as-usual levels in the second half of the year as new initiatives take effect [20][31] - The company anticipates year-on-year growth in postpaid phone nets and is optimistic about the impact of its value guarantee and network improvements [31][33] Other Important Information - Verizon's fixed wireless access strategy is designed to utilize excess capacity in its mobile network, with no dedicated capital expenditure for fixed wireless access [58] - The company is seeing a shift in fixed wireless customers from urban to rural areas as it expands its C band network [63][68] Q&A Session Summary Question: What happened with phone losses in Q1? - Management noted that competitive factors and price increases contributed to higher churn, but overall phone nets improved year-on-year [11][16] Question: How is the health of the consumer base? - Management reported no deterioration in the health of the consumer base, with stable involuntary churn and improved quality metrics for new customers [22] Question: What is the strategy for the Frontier integration? - The focus will be on cross-selling opportunities and achieving operational synergies, with expectations of $500 million in operational expense synergies by year two [39][40] Question: How does fixed wireless fit into the overall strategy? - Fixed wireless is seen as an ancillary benefit of the mobile network, with no plans to transition customers to fiber unless they are in the Fios footprint [70] Question: What are the growth opportunities in prepaid? - The company has repositioned its Tracfone brands to be competitive in the high-end prepaid market, leading to growth in this segment [73][75]

Core Viewpoint - AT&T is significantly enhancing its fiber internet strategy through a $5.75 billion acquisition of Lumen's Mass Markets fiber business, which will add approximately 1 million fiber subscribers and 4 million passed locations, expanding its presence in major metro areas [1][2]. Expansion Plans - Prior to the acquisition, AT&T aimed to pass 50 million fiber locations by the end of 2029; with the Lumen deal, this target has been raised to 60 million by the end of 2030, effectively doubling the current scale of its fiber network [2]. - The acquisition will allow AT&T to expand its fiber reach without incurring all the capital expenditures typically associated with such growth, as it plans to partner with an equity investor post-transaction [4][5]. Financial Strategy - AT&T intends to maintain a net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio of around 2.5 after the Lumen deal closes and the equity partner is found, while also planning to repurchase $10 billion of its own shares through the end of 2026 [6]. - The company expects to generate free cash flow of at least $16 billion this year, with its stock trading at over 12 times free cash flow, indicating a solid value proposition despite not being as cheap as in previous years [11]. Growth Opportunities - Lumen's fiber business has a penetration rate of approximately 25%, significantly lower than AT&T's 40% and half of its long-term target of 50%. Improving this penetration rate presents a low-cost growth opportunity for AT&T [8]. - There is potential for AT&T to sell its wireless services to the 1 million acquired fiber customers, as about 40% of AT&T's fiber customers are also wireless customers, which could lead to lower churn and higher lifetime value [9]. Strategic Acquisition - The acquisition of Lumen's fiber assets provides AT&T with an immediate increase in fiber subscribers and a pathway to expand its fiber network beyond previous plans, while also ensuring financial prudence through equity partnerships [10].

Core Insights - Zacks Premium provides various tools for investors to enhance their stock market engagement and confidence [1] - The Zacks Style Scores serve as complementary indicators to the Zacks Rank, aiding investors in selecting stocks with high potential for market outperformance [2] Zacks Style Scores Overview - Stocks are rated from A to F based on value, growth, and momentum characteristics, with higher scores indicating better chances of outperforming the market [3] - The Style Scores are categorized into four types: Value Score, Growth Score, Momentum Score, and VGM Score [3][4][5][6] Value Score - Focuses on identifying undervalued stocks using ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, and Price/Cash Flow [3] Growth Score - Concentrates on a company's financial health and future growth potential, analyzing projected and historical earnings, sales, and cash flow [4] Momentum Score - Targets stocks with upward or downward price trends, utilizing factors like one-week price change and monthly earnings estimate changes [5] VGM Score - Combines all three Style Scores to provide a comprehensive indicator for investors seeking attractive value, growth, and momentum [6] Zacks Rank Integration - The Zacks Rank is a proprietary model based on earnings estimate revisions, helping investors build successful portfolios [7] - Stocks rated 1 (Strong Buy) have historically produced an average annual return of +25.41% since 1988, significantly outperforming the S&P 500 [8] Stock Selection Strategy - To maximize returns, investors should focus on stocks with a Zacks Rank of 1 or 2 and Style Scores of A or B [9] - Stocks with lower ranks but high Style Scores may still carry risks due to downward earnings outlooks [10] Company Spotlight: Verizon Communications (VZ) - Verizon Communications, formed from the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE Corp, is a leading provider of communication services in North America [11] - Currently rated 3 (Hold) with a VGM Score of B and a Value Style Score of A, indicating attractive valuation metrics [12] - The forward P/E ratio stands at 9.43, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2025 is $4.69 per share, reflecting positive earnings revisions [12][13]

This news release contains forward-looking statements. For a description of the related risk factors and assumptions, please see the section entitled "Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" later in this news release. The information contained in this news release is unaudited. Net earnings of $683 million, up 49.5% with net earnings attributable to common shareholders of $630 million, up 56.7% or $0.68 per common share Adjusted net earnings1 of $633 million yielded adjusted EPS1 of $0.69, down 4.2% ...

Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (TDS) posted soft first-quarter 2025 results, with both top and bottom lines missing the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. TDS reported a revenue decline year over year, owing to demand softness across all verticals. However, growth in residential broadband connections and U.S. postpaid handset connections partially cushioned the top line.Net Income of TDSThe company reported a net loss of $10 million or 9 cents per share against a net income of $12 million or 10 cents in ...

United States Cellular Corporation (USM) Q1 2025 Earnings Call May 02, 2025 10:00 AM ET Company Participants Colleen Thompson - Vice President of Corporate RelationsVicki Villacrez - Executive VP, CFO & DirectorLaurent Therivel - President & CEODouglas Chambers - Executive VP, CFO, Treasurer & DirectorKristina Bothfeld - VP of Finance & CFORic Prentiss - Managing DirectorSergey Dluzhevskiy - Portifolio Manager Conference Call Participants Sebastiano Petti - Senior Research Analyst Operator Hello, and thank ...

Telephone and Data Systems (TDS) Q1 2025 Earnings Call May 02, 2025 10:00 AM ET Speaker0 Hello, and thank you for standing by. My name is Regina, and I will be your conference operator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to the TDS and U. S. Cellular First Quarter twenty twenty five Operating Results Conference Call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise. After the speakers' remarks, there will be a question and answer session. I would now like to turn the conf ...