LBTYA
Liberty Global plc
LBTYA offers stronger valuation, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
VZ
Verizon Communications Inc.
VZ has the edge over LBTYA overall, supported by lower modeled downside.
LBTYA Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Under pressure | |
| Under pressure | |
| Weak |
LBTYA's revenue is currently strong, but its profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are under pressure.
VZ Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Under pressure |
VZ's profitability and cash flow are currently healthy, and its revenue is stable, but its balance sheet is under pressure.
LBTYA PE Valuation
LBTYA has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
VZ PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 8.3x | $32.43 | -30% |
| Forward | 9x | $46.55 | — |
| Fair | 11x | $43.63 | -6.3% |
| Current | 12x | $46.55 | — |
| Expensive | 14x | $56.75 | +22% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
VZ's PE is in its fair range at 12x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 9.0x next year's earnings, in its cheap range.
LBTYA Forward outlook
There aren't enough analyst estimates for LBTYA to show an outlook.
VZ Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect VZ's earnings to grow and its profitability to improve, with its revenue holding steady.
LBTYA Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$7.45 | -$1.36 |
| Q2 2026 | -$9.04 | -$1.18 |
| Q1 2026 | -$16.06 | -2777% |
| Q4 2025 | -$20.86 | -507% |
| Q3 2025 | -$6.09 | -$0.79 |
| Q2 2025 | -$7.86 | -$5.40 |
| Q1 2025 | $0.60 | +$4.01 |
| Q4 2024 | $5.12 | +$10.02 |
LBTYA lost $7.45 per share over the past year, a bigger loss than the year before.
VZ Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $5.19 | +32% |
| Q3 2026 | $3.93 | -16% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.85 | -10% |
| Q1 2026 | $4.11 | -2.1% |
| Q4 2025 | $4.06 | -1.9% |
| Q3 2025 | $4.68 | +103% |
| Q2 2025 | $4.29 | +61% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.20 | +57% |
| Q4 2024 | $4.14 | +51% |
VZ has the edge over LBTYA on earnings quality, reporting a profit while its opponent remains loss making.
LBTYA Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.9B | +59% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.2B | -7.7% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.3B | +8.8% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.2B | +9.6% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.2B | -38% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.3B | -32% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.2B | -40% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.1B | -42% |
LBTYA's revenue is recovering but still below its 2021 peak: $1.9B last quarter, up 59% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -0.9% | -0.3 points |
| Q2 2026 | 0.3% | -2.1 points |
| Q1 2026 | 1.9% | -3.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | -8.6% | -4.3 points |
| Q3 2025 | -0.7% | -5.9 points |
| Q2 2025 | 2.3% | +1.3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 5.2% | +4 points |
| Q4 2024 | -4.3% | +6.4 points |
LBTYA's operating margin was −0.9% last quarter, about level with the same quarter a year ago.
VZ Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $34.3B | +1.5% |
| Q2 2026 | $34.3B | -0.7% |
| Q1 2026 | $34.4B | +2.9% |
| Q4 2025 | $36.4B | +2% |
| Q3 2025 | $33.8B | +1.5% |
| Q2 2025 | $34.5B | +5.2% |
| Q1 2025 | $33.5B | +1.5% |
| Q4 2024 | $35.7B | +1.6% |
VZ has the edge over LBTYA on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 25% | +1.3 points |
| Q2 2026 | 21% | -2.7 points |
| Q1 2026 | 24% | +0.1 points |
| Q4 2025 | 14% | -7.1 points |
| Q3 2025 | 24% | +6.2 points |
| Q2 2025 | 24% | -0.2 points |
| Q1 2025 | 24% | +1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 21% | +19 points |
VZ has the edge over LBTYA on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
LBTYA Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $184.8M | +$225.9M |
| Q2 2026 | -$117M | +$53.1M |
| Q1 2026 | -$290M | -$175.9M |
| Q4 2025 | $193.3M | -78% |
| Q3 2025 | -$41.1M | -140% |
| Q2 2025 | -$170.1M | -166% |
| Q1 2025 | -$114.1M | -$9M |
| Q4 2024 | $870.3M | +85% |
LBTYA's free cash flow has turned negative after years in the green: −$29M over the past year.
VZ Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $11.5B | +2.2% |
| Q2 2026 | $10.4B | +16% |
| Q1 2026 | $8B | +2.6% |
| Q4 2025 | $9.1B | -13% |
| Q3 2025 | $11.3B | +14% |
| Q2 2025 | $9B | -5.4% |
| Q1 2025 | $7.8B | +9.9% |
| Q4 2024 | $10.4B | +20% |
VZ has the edge over LBTYA on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
LBTYA Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +2.1% | +7.1M shares |
| 1 year | +2.2% | +7.4M shares |
| 3 years | -58% | -470M shares |
| 5 years | -68% | -750M shares |
| Available history | -75% | -1B shares |
LBTYA has 347M diluted shares, up 2.2% from a year ago, despite $134M in buybacks over the past year.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $100M |
| Q2 2026 | — |
| Q1 2026 | — |
| Q4 2025 | $33.9M |
| Q3 2025 | $56.2M |
| Q2 2025 | $64.1M |
| Q1 2025 | $37.9M |
| Q4 2024 | $177.9M |
LBTYA spent $134M buying back its own shares over the past year, down 60% from the year before.
VZ Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.2% | -10M shares |
| 1 year | -1.7% | -72M shares |
| 3 years | -1.3% | -55M shares |
| 5 years | +0.4% | +17M shares |
| Available history | +0.5% | +21M shares |
VZ has the edge over LBTYA on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $500M |
| Q2 2026 | $1B |
| Q1 2026 | $2.5B |
LBTYA Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 14.9x | High |
| Q2 2026 | 5.9x | High |
| Q1 2026 | 6.5x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 6.4x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 24.1x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 12.9x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 8.3x | High |
| Q4 2024 | 6.6x | High |
LBTYA's net debt is about 15 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from more than 20 years a year ago.
VZ Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 3.3x | Elevated |
| Q2 2026 | 3.4x | Elevated |
| Q1 2026 | 3.4x | Elevated |
| Q4 2025 | 2.9x | Moderate |
| Q3 2025 | 2.8x | Moderate |
| Q2 2025 | 3.0x | Moderate |
| Q1 2025 | 3.0x | Elevated |
| Q4 2024 | 3.0x | Elevated |
VZ has the edge over LBTYA on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
LBTYA Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 54.3 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 57.2 | Neutral |
LBTYA's weekly RSI is 54 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 57 (neutral).
VZ Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 50.9 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 44.6 | Neutral |
VZ's weekly RSI is 51 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 45 (neutral).
LBTYA PE vs Communication Services Sector
| Metric | LBTYA | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | N/A | 16x | — |
LBTYA has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
VZ PE vs Communication Services Sector
| Metric | VZ | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 12x | 16x | 28% below |
| PE % | 58 | 26 | 32 pts above |
VZ is trading at 12x earnings, a 28% discount to the Communication Services sector's median of 16x.
LBTYA Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $8.88 | 20% above |
| 20 week MA | $9.85 | 8% above |
| 50 week MA | $11.0 | 2.8% below |
| 100 week MA | $11.0 | 2.9% below |
| 200 week MA | $10.3 | 3.6% above |
LBTYA's trend is mixed: it's above three of its five weekly moving averages, and 3.6% above its 200-week average.
VZ Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $45.1 | 3.1% above |
| 20 week MA | $46.3 | 0.5% above |
| 50 week MA | $46.1 | 1.1% above |
| 100 week MA | $44.2 | 5.4% above |
| 200 week MA | $41.4 | 12% above |
VZ has the edge over LBTYA on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
LBTYA Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $11.7 | $12.6 | +6.9% |
| 2021 | $12.6 | $14.5 | +16% |
| 2022 | $14.5 | $9.81 | -32% |
| 2023 | $9.81 | $9.16 | -6.6% |
| 2024 | $9.16 | $12.4 | +35% |
| 2025 | $12.4 | $11.1 | -10% |
| 2026 YTD | $11.1 | $10.6 | -4.1% |
LBTYA has finished lower in three of the last six years. It's down 4.1% so far in 2026.
VZ Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $61.5 | $58.8 | -4.4% |
| 2021 | $58.8 | $52.7 | -10% |
| 2022 | $52.7 | $38.4 | -27% |
| 2023 | $38.4 | $37.7 | -1.8% |
| 2024 | $37.7 | $39.9 | +5.9% |
| 2025 | $39.9 | $40.5 | +1.4% |
| 2026 YTD | $40.5 | $46.6 | +15% |
VZ has the edge over LBTYA on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.