Verizon’s 5.34% Yield, $144B Debt Highlighted by Major Network Outage
Verizon’s dividend yield is 5.34% with quarterly payouts raised to $0.69, and shares climbed 28% YTD despite guiding 0–3% EPS growth for 2025 and holding $144 billion in debt. A major network outage this week raised questions about reliability and dividend sustainability as Verizon integrates the pending Frontier acquisition.
1. Dividend Yield and Increases
Verizon’s annualized dividend stands at $2.76 per share, equating to a 5.34% yield. The company has increased its quarterly payout from $0.6650 in mid-2024 to $0.69 in mid-2025, reflecting consistent, modest growth that appeals to income investors.
2. Q4 Performance and Growth
In Q4 2024, Verizon added 568,000 postpaid phone subscribers, a 26.5% year-over-year increase, driven by strong customer acquisitions. Fixed wireless access revenue surged 51.6% to $611 million, raising the total FWA subscriber base to 4.6 million.
3. 2025 EPS Guidance and Leverage
Verizon projected flat to 3% adjusted EPS growth for fiscal 2025, signaling muted near-term earnings momentum. The balance sheet carries $144 billion in total debt, with the pending Frontier acquisition set to increase leverage further, prompting scrutiny of dividend sustainability.
4. Network Outage and Acquisition Implications
A widespread network outage left hundreds of thousands of customers offline this week, spotlighting reliability concerns for a telecom giant. This incident underscores reputational risks as Verizon pursues the pending Frontier deal and seeks to integrate new AI and satellite partnerships.