Verizon CommunicationsVZHOLDJul 10, 2013Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Sep 11, 2026. Market Open.
A changed company. Older business model was volume-based, now has a bit more of an entrepreneurial spirit and is a bit more growthy. Cutting back on getting the customer at any price to a higher-quality customer. New focus is turning up in cashflow. Returning a lot of cash to investors, lots of buybacks.
Defensive play. Yield is 5.67%.
The entry into Canada is going to be interesting but there are going to be some obstacles. Pretty decent yield and it is pretty safe as well. You are probably looking at 9%-10% long-term growth and paying about 18X earnings so it is not necessarily cheap. Telecom is a defensive space. He prefers Consumer Staples a little bit more than Telecoms. However, he thinks this is a keeper. (See Top Picks.)