Verizon shares surged nearly 15% on the trading session following the release of Q4 results that beat consensus expectations on both revenue growth and free cash flow. The rally carried the stock back to the $44 level, which had served as a ceiling in March and August of last year. Technical analysts point out that investors who bought at those peaks and held through subsequent declines may now be placing sell orders to break even, creating a supply barrier. The repeated failure to close decisively above this threshold suggests the potential for a pullback, even as broader market sentiment toward telecoms remains constructive.

During the latest quarter, Verizon reported over 1 million net customer additions across mobility and broadband—the strongest quarterly total in six years. Postpaid phone net adds reached 616,000 (including 551,000 in the consumer segment), while fixed wireless access and Fios internet combined for 372,000 broadband net adds. Consolidated adjusted EBITDA rose 2.5% year-over-year to $11.9 billion, and adjusted EPS increased to $1.09. Free cash flow for the period totaled $20.1 billion for the full year, driven by $37.1 billion in operating cash flow and disciplined capital expenditures of $17 billion.

CEO Dan Schulman framed Verizon’s trajectory as a ‘turnaround story,’ emphasizing the integration of the Frontier acquisition and a renewed focus on reliability after a recent network outage. Management now projects 750,000 to 1 million postpaid phone net adds in 2026, roughly double last year’s tally, and expects mobility and broadband service revenue growth of 2% to 3%, or about $93 billion. Adjusted EPS guidance of $4.90 to $4.95 implies 4% to 5% growth, while free cash flow is forecast to exceed $21.5 billion. The board also approved up to $25 billion in share repurchases over three years and announced a 2.5% dividend increase, marking the twentieth consecutive annual hike.