LBTYB
Liberty Global plc
LBTYB offers stronger modeled upside, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
VZ
Verizon Communications Inc.
VZ has a slight edge over LBTYB overall, supported by lower modeled downside.
LBTYB Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Under pressure | |
| Under pressure | |
| Weak |
LBTYB'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.
LBTYB PE Valuation
LBTYB 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.
LBTYB Forward outlook
There aren't enough analyst estimates for LBTYB 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.
LBTYB Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$7.45 | -$1.36 |
| Q2 2026 | -$9.04 | +$0.73 |
| Q1 2026 | -$16.06 | -$15.09 |
| Q4 2025 | -$20.86 | -598% |
| Q3 2025 | -$6.09 | +$4.20 |
| Q2 2025 | -$9.77 | -$5.00 |
| Q1 2025 | -$0.97 | +$5.64 |
| Q4 2024 | $4.19 | +$13.71 |
LBTYB 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 LBTYB on earnings quality, reporting a profit while its opponent remains loss making.
LBTYB 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% |
LBTYB'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 |
LBTYB'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 LBTYB 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 LBTYB on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
LBTYB 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% |
LBTYB'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 LBTYB on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
LBTYB Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +2.1% | +7.1M shares |
| 1 year | +2.2% | +7.4M shares |
| 3 years | -18% | -73.9M shares |
| 5 years | -39% | -218M shares |
| Available history | -51% | -359M shares |
LBTYB 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 |
LBTYB 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 LBTYB on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $500M |
| Q2 2026 | $1B |
| Q1 2026 | $2.5B |
LBTYB 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 |
LBTYB'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 LBTYB on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
LBTYB Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 48.4 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 28.6 | Neutral |
LBTYB's weekly RSI is 48 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 29 (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).
LBTYB PE vs Communication Services Sector
| Metric | LBTYB | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | N/A | 16x | — |
LBTYB 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.
LBTYB Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $12.0 | 2.6% above |
| 20 week MA | $12.3 | 0.2% above |
| 50 week MA | $12.9 | 5% below |
| 100 week MA | $12.0 | 2.8% above |
| 200 week MA | $15.1 | 19% below |
LBTYB's trend is mixed: it's above three of its five weekly moving averages, and 19% below 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 LBTYB on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
LBTYB Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $22.7 | $25.2 | +11% |
| 2021 | $25.2 | $27.3 | +8.5% |
| 2022 | $27.3 | $19.0 | -30% |
| 2023 | $19.0 | $17.8 | -6.3% |
| 2024 | $17.8 | $12.1 | -32% |
| 2025 | $12.1 | $11.1 | -7.9% |
| 2026 YTD | $11.1 | $12.3 | +10% |
LBTYB has finished four years in a row lower, and it's up 10% 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 LBTYB on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.