Verizon’s dividend still looks safe

Article Excerpt

Shares of Verizon are down 17% since the start of 2023, mainly because income-seeking investors are shifting to bonds, which offer similar yields. The possibility that the company will have to replace those old telephone lines with lead sheathing have also hurt the stock. However, Verizon will probably spread the costs out over many years, which should let it avoid a dividend cut. It also stands to gain as cellphone users upgrade to its faster 5G networks. VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC. $33 is your #1 Income Buy for 2023. The telecom provider (New York symbol VZ; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector, Shares outstanding: 4.2 billion; Market cap: $138.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; Dividend yield: 7.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.verizon.com) is the second-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. after AT&T (New York symbol T), with 143.2 million subscribers (consumers and businesses) as of June 30, 2023. It also sells traditional telephone lines, high-speed Internet and TV services. Verizon’s revenue rose 0.8%, from $130.86 billion in 2018 to $131.87…