Verizon Communications (VZ)

T-Mobile has taken all the growth in the industry, eating the lunches of AT&T and VZ. AT&T and VZ carry fairly large debt loads. He'd argue the bad news is already baked in. Lead in cables is a red herring, not a reason to sell. Canadian telcos might be more attractive. 

All telecoms under pressure with rising rates. Still a good, defensive stock. Good cashflow. Largest wireless carrier in the US. Predictable, recurring revenue. Beat Q2 expectations. Dividend sustainable. Yield almost 8%.

Has neither growth nor a dividend.

Not a favourite. Revenue per share is down, yet still spends $20B a year on capital expansion. Not getting much for their money. Low marks on growth, and that ends the discussion for him. Hefty and unhealthy dividend yield of 7%.

It pays a dividend of 7%, which he doesn't like because it may be a questionable payout.

It pays a 7% dividend which is high for a telecom stock and it could still increase its dividend. It is trading at 7 or 8 X earnings which is a much better multiple than Canadian telecoms.

It pays 65% of its free cash flow to its 7.3% dividend. Unsustainable. Phone companies could offer the new Apple VR headset as an incentive to switch phone plans. Either way, Apple stock will come out on top.

High quality communication company.
Recent share weakness equates good time to invest.
7% dividend yield very strong.
Expecting a 25% increase in the share price going forward.
Excellent for long term shareholders. 

Growth isn't there, though he isn't worried about their dividend.

Fine here, good dividend yield, relatively low valuation. But you don't have a lot of growth. He prefers Canadian telecom at this point, like BCE, Rogers, and Telus. US firms overspent on content, levered up massively. In the US, he'd prefer AT&T for the turnaround.

T-Mobile is crushing this, but don't sell it at this level. It pays a good yield that's safe, but they won't grow--that's a shame.

The telcos in the U.S. have done poorly. Buy a Canadian telco instead.

Consolidating business with large amounts of debt.
Highly cautious on investing in company with rising interest rates.
Company vulnerable to tech disruptions. 
Would not recommend buying.
Very competitive business.

Bit of a trap. Good valuation, 8x earnings. High dividend, close to 7%, which is alluring. Growth has stalled. Highly competitive space. Over time, dividend's safety has edged lower.