Why Verizon Stock Soared Today

Shares of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) popped on Friday after the wireless leader reported its strongest subscriber gains in years.

By the close of trading, Verizon's stock price was up more than 11%.

Image source: Verizon Communications.

Back in the fight

New CEO Dan Schulman wants Verizon to "play to win." The previously lumbering telecom giant is responding to their chief executive's challenge.

Verizon delivered its highest quarterly net customer additions since 2019. It gained 616,000 postpaid phone and 372,000 broadband subscribers in the fourth quarter.

Schulman signaled that he intends to make it more difficult for rivals like AT&T and T-Mobile to wrestle away customers. "Verizon will no longer be a hunting ground for our competitors," Schulman said in a press release.

Verizon's total fourth-quarter operating revenue rose 2% year over year to $36.4 billion. The company's adjusted earnings per share declined by less than 1% to $1.09. However, that bested Wall Street's estimates, which had called for adjusted per-share profits of $1.06.

A solid growth forecast

All told, Verizon generated $20.1 billion in free cash flow in 2025. Management sees that figure growing roughly 7% to at least $21.5 billion in 2026, driven by 750,000 to 1 million retail postpaid phone net additions.

"We are exiting 2025 with strong momentum, delivered by a team that is intensely focused on winning through healthy volumes and fiscally responsible growth," Schulman said.

Joe Tenebruso 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.