• For Q1, the U.S. telecom reported revenue of $34.4 billion, which is comparable to the consensus estimate of $34.86 billion, according to data from Fiscal AI.
• Earnings per share on an adjusted basis came in at $1.28, ahead of the consensus estimates of $1.21 per share.
• For the full year, Verizon now expects adjusted EPS between $4.95 and $4.99, representing 5% to 6% growth, well above the $4.91 estimate.

Verizon Communications (VZ) guided higher profit for the full year and said it expects to add up to three times more postpaid phone subscribers from last year, on top of reporting a strong bottom-line beat in its first-quarter (Q1) results.

The company said that the positive results reflect rising momentum from its recently deployed efforts under the new top boss, Dan Schulman, who joined Verizon in October last year, taking the reins from Hans Vestberg. Schulman had then promised that Verizon would compete aggressively and accelerate its convergence strategy, similar to that of its rival, AT&T.

“Our first-quarter 2026 results show that our turnaround is not only progressing, it is gaining momentum," said Schulman in a public statement. "We are beginning to reclaim our market leadership by putting the customer at the center of everything we do, reducing friction to increase loyalty and create genuine value.”

Schulman’s tenure so far has been notably marked by a massive layoff affecting about 13,000 jobs, a move he claims will make the company “leaner, simpler, and more agile” and fund its growth investments. 

Q1 Earnings Review 

For Q1, the U.S. telecom reported revenue of $34.4 billion, which is comparable to the consensus estimate of $34.86 billion, according to data from Fiscal AI.

Earnings per share on an adjusted basis came in at $1.28, ahead of the consensus estimates of $1.21 per share.

The company said it added 55,000 net new mobile phone customers, its first positive Q1 phone sub additions since 2013, and a year-over-year improvement of 340,000, while estimates polled by Bloomberg were a loss of 89,169 customers.

For the full year, Verizon now expects adjusted EPS between $4.95 and $4.99, representing 5% to 6% growth, well above the $4.91 estimate. It also guided retail postpaid phone net additions to be in the top half of the 750,000-1 million range. 

VZ Stock: How Did Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment about VZ turned ‘bullish’ from ‘bearish’ over the last 24 hours, while messaging volumes tripled.

One bullish user on the platform calls the report ‘not too shabby.’

Another user expects the stock to trade above $50 today.

VZ stock has risen nearly 14% so far this year and 12% since Schulman’s arrival on October 6 last year, outperforming the benchmark S&P 500 index.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

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