Should You Buy AT&T Stock Before April 22?
Key Points
AT&T stock has been doing well this year as investors have sought safety with its high dividend.
The stock began to surge in late January following the release of its latest earnings numbers.
Expectations may be elevated when the company reports its upcoming quarterly results.
- 10 stocks we like better than AT&T ›
A big potential catalyst for any stock is always its quarterly earnings report, which can give investors a good indication of whether its business is on the right path or not. If a company posts better-than-expected numbers or provides encouraging guidance, it can give the stock a huge boost. On the flip side, however, if investors are underwhelmed with what they see, that can quickly lead to a sell-off.
On April 22, AT&T (NYSE: T) will report its first-quarter earnings for 2026. This comes after the company posted some strong fourth-quarter numbers a few months ago. There will also be plenty of attention given that rival Verizon Communications also reported impressive subscriber growth in its quarterly report recently. This means for AT&T, expectations may be elevated for Q1 to see not only if it can build off strong Q4 numbers but also if it can keep up with Verizon.
Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »
Should you invest in AT&T stock before it releases its upcoming earnings numbers?
Image source: Getty Images.
How AT&T stock has normally done after earnings
AT&T isn't a top growth stock that depends heavily on how it does on earnings, but generating solid numbers can still be important for any company. In the chart below, you can see how AT&T's stock has done after posting its earnings numbers, and there are occasionally large moves in both directions.
T data by YCharts
The last time it reported earnings, back in January, the stock would end up climbing more than 25% within the following couple of weeks, as AT&T beat analyst expectations and its numbers looked strong. Big moves in share price can happen, but they haven't typically been the norm for the stock.
Another big rally may not be coming, but the stock still looks like a buy
This year has been a strong one thus far for the telecom company, with its share price up by 17%. Investors have been loading up on the stock due to the stability it offers, plus its high dividend, which yields 3.8% (the S&P 500 average is only 1.2%).
While it offers some terrific long-term stability, I don't expect there to be a reason for the stock to surge after earnings again, especially with AT&T already coming off an impressive rally after reporting its most recent quarterly numbers -- a fair bit of optimism may already be priced in.
However, with the stock still trading at less than 10 times its trailing earnings, it's not an expensive investment to put in your portfolio. Buying the dividend stock today and hanging on for the long term can be an excellent move, regardless of how it does in a single quarter.
Should you buy stock in AT&T right now?
Before you buy stock in AT&T, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and AT&T wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $503,861!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,026,987!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 884% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 179% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of March 30, 2026.
David Jagielski, CPA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Recommended Articles
