Verizon Leads AT&T In Postpaid Smartphone Subscribers

Recent estimates by the Kantar Group, a market research and analytics firm, show that Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) was leading wireless telecom companies in smartphone sales for the three months ending August 2013. According to Kantar’s estimates, Verizon sold almost 37% of all devices sold in the US market during that period, while its main competitor, AT&T Inc. (T), lost market share.

Changes in market shares of smartphone sales can have major implications for wireless carriers, who are operating in an already saturated market with limited growth options. Smartphones are the largest growth drivers for the wireless industry and their owners use more data and therefore have higher data ARPUs, which is the fastest growing revenue stream for the industry.

AT&T was given exclusive rights to market the iPhone when Apple Inc. (AAPL) released it for the first time in 2007. This was an important privilege for AT&T, as it became the only company authorized to sell and distribute a revolutionary new product that was an instant hit with customers. It was not until February 2011 that Verizon starting selling iPhones on its network, and the device was introduced to Sprint and T-Mobile customers even later than that.

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Battle Of The Dividends – Verizon Vs. AT&T

The telecom industry has continuously evolved and reinvented itself in response to technological advancements. The wireless segment is currently its main source of revenues, and AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ), two of the largest players in the industry, have expanded their product portfolio accordingly to include a wide variety of products besides their legacy wireline services.

Due to the robust nature of the industry, telecoms have traditionally been a safe haven for investors looking for steady growth and stable dividends. On top of that, telecom stocks also offer immunity from market swings: for example, Verizon’s Beta value is 0.53, compared to AT&T’s 0.69.

Both stocks have a large number of investors from the retirement and pension fund managers’ community. About 57% of AT&T’s outstanding shares are held by institutions, out of which almost 95% are held by investment advisors, pension funds and insurance companies. Institutional ownership in Verizon is about the same, with 59% of its total outstanding shares are held largely by a shareholder base similar to AT&T’s.

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Verizon Acquires EdgeCast Networks

Yesterday, Verizon Communications Inc. announced an agreement to acquire the Los Angeles-based Content Delivery Network (CDN) company, EdgeCast Networks for over $350 million.

EdgeCast Networks, a provider of networking solutions along with web services and content delivery has been one of the fastest growing technology companies since its inception in 2006. The company specializes in on-demand delivery of data and rich media content and has about 6,000 clients that include Fortune 500 companies. The company is also strategically partnered with Google Inc. (GOOG), Microsoft Inc. (MSFT) and Yahoo Inc. (YHOO).

EdgeCast, which has been profitable over the last four years is largely considered an upstart and was initially funded by the venture arm of Disney. The company, with a current run rate of $100 million has raised $74 million in funding since 2006.

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AT&T vs Verizon

The US telecom industry includes companies that provide telephony, cable and satellite television and internet services. The key players in this industry are: AT&T, Verizon Communications, Sprint Communications and T-Mobile US. AT&T has the largest share of the wireless subscriber market with 107 million to Verizon’s 98 million subscribers. However, Verizon leads in the postpaid wireless segment with 93 million subscribers.
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VERIZON COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Verizon Communications (VZ), headquartered in New York is the second largest telecom company in the US after AT&T. It was formed after the merger of GTE and Bell Atlantic in the year 2000. The company has a market cap of $143 billion and reported revenues of $115 billion in FY12. The company operates under two main segments; Wireless and Wireline. Wireless contributes around 67% to the company’s total revenues. The segment posted sales of $75 billion in FY12. The five-year annual growth rate for the segment is around 9%. Wireline contributes around 33% to the company’s total revenue. It posted sales of $40 billion in Fy12.. Read More: VZ

Verizon Communications Inc. : Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam: 'We're in a Golden Age of Innovation'

Verizon Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Lowell McAdam says that the world is just at the beginning of a revolutionary new era in the history of communications and that countless life-changing solutions are waiting to be discovered.

McAdam made his comments while receiving the David Packard Medal of Achievement Award from TechAmerica at a reception in Menlo Park. McAdam was the 55(th) recipient of the award, which annually recognizes significant contributions to the advancement of the high-tech industry and for distinguished service.

"I'm fortunate that my career has coincided with one of the most sweeping technological revolutions that any industry has ever seen," said McAdam. "We're in a golden age of innovation." But he noted that for all the technological tools built in the last 30 years, "the challenge for the next 30 years is to leverage the power of these tools to raise living standards and transform societies in ways we never dreamed of before." Read more

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) | Verizon Wireless: Hiring Veterans Makes Our Company Stronger

Reminiscent of the US Army’s “I Want You” recruitment campaign featuring Uncle Sam’s outstretched finger, Verizon Wireless is pointing to veterans with the same message.

Verizon is actively recruiting military veterans in South Carolina for 120 available positions it is looking to fill by the end of 2013. “As more soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen return from active duty in Afghanistan and other places and as the Pentagon continues to trim its budget, more of these highly skilled veterans are searching for employment in the civilian world,” said Michele Brookshire of Verizon’s Talent Acquisitions Team. So Verizon taught its recruiters to understand the value of military training and how a corporal’s chevrons or an ensign’s brass translates into a highly disciplined employee accustomed to multi-tasking and being part of a team effort.

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), currently valued at $144.40B, started trading this morning at $50.55. During the trading session, VZ traded between $50.46 to $51.00 with a one year range of $40.51 to $54.31. VZ shares are currently priced at 17.88x this year’s forecasted earnings. Readmore.

Verizon's LTE network won't support Nexus 7 until after KitKat upgrade

Nexus 7 owners, you'll unfortunately have to wait for Android KitKat before you can connect to Verizon's LTE network. In September, the carrier revealed that the pint-sized slate would have to go through a month-long certification process before it can connect to the internet via LTE. Now, Big Red claims the fault lies with Android Jelly Bean, and that Google and Asus (the device's manufacturer) have advised the carrier to suspend the certification process until KitKat arrives. 

According to Mountain View, its newest mobile OS is coming in the next few weeks -- for now, (disappointed) Nexus 7 users can head past the break for Verizon's full statement. Read more.

Still Bullish on Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), the New York-based telecommunications giant, announced earnings for its third quarter of fiscal year 2013 (3QFY13) on October 17. The company is doing well and beat analyst estimates for both revenues and earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter.

Verizon’s per share earnings of $0.78 beat estimates by $0.03, and grew 16% YoY. In comparison, Verizon’s most significant competitor – AT&T Inc. (T) – posted slower growth of 14.28%.

Verizon’s total operating revenues grew to $30.28 billion, up 4.4% compared to 3QFY12. Net income from Verizon Wireless totaled $2.23 billion, but is expected to increase going forward as Verizon completes its repurchase of a 45% stake in Verizon Wireless held by the Vodafone Group Plc (VOD). Read more.

Government Reopening with Debt Deal; GS, VZ, UNH Report; Dimon’s Decision or Not?

A debt default averted. And the government re-opening too. All part of a short-term agreement, passed after most of us went to sleep. So what's the real deal? Under the bargain, the government will reopen until January 15th, ending what had been a 16-day shutdown. Meanwhile, the debt ceiling will be raised to keep the country paying its bills through February 7th. Under the agreement, lawmakers are also supposed to reach hammer out a blueprint for long-term for tax and spending policies by December 13th. So, have we done anything more than set the stage for another stalemate? Yahoo Finance Senior Columnist Mike Santoli has more in the video above.

Three companies in the Dow are just out with earnings: Goldman Sachs (GS), Verizon (VZ) and UnitedHealth Group (UNH). Goldman easily beat on the bottom line with adjusted earnings of $2.88 a share versus expectations of $2.47. Revenue, however, was below estimates at $6.72-billion versus $7.35-billion. As for Verizon, it beat on both the top and bottom lines with adjusted earnings of 77-cents a share versus 74-cents on sales of $30.28-billion versus $30.161-billion. Finally UnitedHealth matched on earnings estimates reporting $1.53 a share. Revenue was slightly under estimates at $30.62-billion compared to $30.86-billion. Read more.