• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion

3

'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
TechFortune 500

Why Verizon and AT&T Are Jumping Like Hot Tech Stocks

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 27, 2017, 11:03 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Price cutting on mobile phone plans is easing, wireless customer defection rates are at record lows, and the stocks of big telecom companies are surging like a hot IPO. It must be mid-summer in wireless world, but be forewarned: the good times probably won’t last.

Just like last year, Verizon and AT&T have reported second quarter results that impressed Wall Street. First, AT&T said Tuesday that added 2.3 million U.S. wireless subscribers while its phone customer defection, or churn, rate was a record low and its wireless profit margin was at a record high. Then Thursday morning, Verizon said it added 614,000 regular monthly customers while its phone customer churn rate also hit a record low.

As a result, AT&T’s shares shot up 5% Wednesday, the biggest upward move since 2009 according to Bloomberg, and added another 3% on Thursday. Verizon’s share gained 6% on Thursday after its results came out and the historical calculators will, no doubt, soon tell us that’s also the biggest one-day gain in quite a while. Investors who worried that competitors were closing the gap with Verizon’s network quality advantage were reassured by the subscriber gains even though the carrier may not have the best unlimited data plan prices.

But the wireless market’s languid competitive state in the second quarter is a regular, seasonal thing. With not much happening for shopping and no new iPhones to excite Apple (AAPL) fans, the three months from April through June are typically stable for the wireless carriers. And Sprint (S) and T-Mobile (TMUS) typically don’t go crazy with price cutting, since fewer potential switchers are in the market this time of year.

That all changes most years as we head into fall and holiday shopping season, not to mention the usual arrival of new iPhones in September, as some Wall Street analysts warned.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

“The recovery in [subscribers] is also partly due to record low churn across the industry in general, which we suspect will reverse later in the year with the new iPhone launch,” Jonathan Chaplin at New Street Research wrote after Verizon’s results came out. “T-Mobile in particular did not spend much to acquire subs this quarter (sensible given low turnover); we expect a more aggressive push from all carriers later in the year.”

For what it’s worth, Verizon (VZ) CFO Matt Ellis wasn’t willing to concede any problems ahead. “As we head forward, second quarter is typically seasonally the low quarter of churn,” he said on a call with analysts. “We’ll see if we get the normal seasonal uptick.” Verizon’s unlimited plan will remain a strong draw for customers, Ellis added later, saying that “absolutely I think that the trend on unlimited is sustainable.”

One thing is different this year from 2016, which longtime analyst Craig Moffett noted. Last year, AT&T (T) and Verizon were among the best-performing stocks and the further gains on their 2016 second quarter results pushed them into crazy-high territory for usually low-volatility big phone stocks.

This year, amid fears that unlimited plans were killing the industry’s finances, AT&T and Verizon’s stocks have been major underperformers. Through Tuesday’s close, AT&T was down 15% and Verizon had lost 18% versus the 11% gain in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

“That today’s results will almost certainly be viewed as ‘very good’ says more about just how bearish sentiment has become in U.S. wireless than it does about the business itself,” Moffett wrote. “But it is precisely this uniformly bearish sentiment that has underpinned our Buy recommendation on Verizon. Investors don’t need things to get better… at these valuations, it is enough to see them stop getting worse.”

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Tech

Kid watching social media
PoliticsSocial Media
France adopts bill to ban kids under 15 from using social media
By The Associated PressJuly 21, 2026
1 hour ago
Christopher Nolan interacts with fans at Odyssey premier
Arts & EntertainmentHollywood
‘He’s an analog man in a digital AI world’: Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ made back its $250M budget in 3 days without industrywide AI cost cutting
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 21, 2026
2 hours ago
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis
AIEye on AI
A FINRA for AI? The idea from Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis is gaining momentum. But is it any good?
By Jeremy KahnJuly 21, 2026
2 hours ago
Two students stand next to each other and look at the papers they are holding.
AIEducation
Study finds AI boosted homework scores 18%—then tanked exam results 20%
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 21, 2026
3 hours ago
math
AIScience
Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
By Eva RoytburgJuly 21, 2026
4 hours ago
kalshi
CryptoKalshi
Kalshi’s ‘chronically online’ war room figured out World Cup virality — and realized AI might be bringing back the monoculture
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 21, 2026
7 hours ago

Most Popular

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
3 days ago
The Treasury is walking a tightrope on U.S. debt by relying so much on short-term rates that are at the mercy of a suddenly very hawkish Fed
Economy
The Treasury is walking a tightrope on U.S. debt by relying so much on short-term rates that are at the mercy of a suddenly very hawkish Fed
By Jason MaJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, July 20, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 20, 2026
1 day ago
Jamie Dimon won't put more of his own money into the long end of the bond market right now—thanks to the $39 trillion national debt
Economy
Jamie Dimon won't put more of his own money into the long end of the bond market right now—thanks to the $39 trillion national debt
By Eleanor PringleJuly 21, 2026
9 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.