Stock Market Today, Jan. 30: Verizon Surges as Earnings Reinforce Wireless Momentum
Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ), a provider of wireless and wireline services, closed Friday at $44.52, up 11.83%. The stock jumped after [Premarket] Q4 2025 results and 2026 guidance topped expectations and highlighted a $25 billion buyback, and investors are watching execution on cost cuts and customer growth targets.
Trading volume reached 113.1 million shares, coming in about 296% above compared with its three-month average of 28.6 million shares. Verizon Communications IPO'd in 1983 and has grown 450% since going public.
How the markets moved today
The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) slipped 0.45% to 6,938, while the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) fell 0.94% to 23,462. Within telecommunications services, industry rivals AT&T (NYSE:T) closed at $26.21 (+4.32%) and T-Mobile US (NASDAQ:TMUS) finished at $197.21 (+4.19%) as investors reassessed wireless growth and pricing.
What this means for investors
Verizon Communications surged Friday after its fourth-quarter results and 2026 outlook came in stronger than expected, shifting investor focus back to earnings durability and cash generation. The company posted adjusted EPS of $1.09 on roughly $36.4 billion in revenue and delivered more than 1 million net additions.
Management outlined a 2026 adjusted EPS range of $4.90 to $4.95 and forecast at least $21.5 billion in free cash flow. The outlook reflects a volume-driven strategy aimed at adding 750,000 to 1 million retail postpaid phone subscribers while keeping wireless service revenue largely steady and improving profitability through tighter cost control. A newly approved $25 billion share repurchase program reinforced the company’s renewed emphasis on capital returns.
A recent Verizon network outage, now under FCC review, has sharpened investor focus on its service reliability and execution, as the company seeks to sustain customer growth and service quality alongside an aggressive shareholder-return plan.
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Eric Trie has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends T-Mobile US and Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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