TDS
Telephone and Data Systems, Inc.
TDS has a slight edge over VZ overall, supported by stronger valuation.
VZ
Verizon Communications Inc.
VZ has lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
TDS Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Under pressure | |
| Strong | |
| Weak | |
| Strong |
TDS's profitability and balance sheet are currently strong, but its revenue and cash flow 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.
TDS PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | 7.5x | $30.73 | — |
| Cheap | 12x | $48.62 | +58% |
| Fair | 17x | $71.06 | +131% |
| Expensive | 23x | $94.77 | +208% |
| Forward | 116x | $30.73 | — |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
TDS has the edge over VZ in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
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.
TDS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly deteriorating | |
| Returning to profit | |
| Stable | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect TDS to return to profit, with revenue holding steady.
VZ Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Growth | |
| Stable | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
VZ has the edge over TDS on the outlook, with more favorable valuation expectations.
TDS Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $0.26 | -94% |
| Q3 2026 | $4.09 | +$5.16 |
| Q2 2026 | $3.00 | +$3.96 |
| Q1 2026 | $0.53 | +$1.57 |
| Q4 2025 | -$0.65 | +$0.20 |
| Q3 2025 | -$1.07 | +$4.34 |
| Q2 2025 | -$0.96 | +$3.88 |
| Q1 2025 | -$1.04 | +$3.84 |
| Q4 2024 | -$0.85 | +$4.21 |
TDS has the edge over VZ on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
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's earnings per share have fallen from their peak: $3.93 over the past year, against $5.34 in late 2021.
TDS Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $306.7M | -0.6% |
| Q2 2026 | $309.3M | -74% |
| Q1 2026 | $309.5M | -73% |
| Q4 2025 | $330.7M | -73% |
| Q3 2025 | $308.5M | -75% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.2B | -4.2% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.2B | -8.6% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.2B | -5.5% |
TDS's revenue has slid since its 2022 peak: $307M last quarter, about level with the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -9.8% | +12 points |
| Q2 2026 | 121% | +117 points |
| Q1 2026 | 46% | +43 points |
| Q4 2025 | 5.1% | +2.2 points |
| Q3 2025 | -22% | -16 points |
| Q2 2025 | 3.4% | +0.2 points |
| Q1 2025 | 3% | -2.3 points |
| Q4 2024 | 2.9% | +43 points |
TDS's operating margin was −9.8% last quarter, up 12 points from the same quarter a year ago, near the bottom of its range since 2019.
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 TDS 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 TDS on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
TDS Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$305.5M | -$292.8M |
| Q2 2026 | -$113.3M | -143% |
| Q1 2026 | -$81.6M | -243% |
| Q4 2025 | -$108.9M | -$91.9M |
| Q3 2025 | -$12.7M | -112% |
| Q2 2025 | $264M | +42% |
| Q1 2025 | $57M | +$68M |
| Q4 2024 | -$17M | +$69M |
TDS has burned cash in six of the last eight quarters: −$609M over the past year, against $291M the year before.
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 TDS on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
TDS Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -1.1% | -1.3M shares |
| 1 year | -3.2% | -3.8M shares |
| 3 years | +1.8% | +2M shares |
| 5 years | -0.9% | -1M shares |
| Available history | -0.9% | -1M shares |
TDS has the edge over VZ on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2025 | $67.4M |
| Q4 2024 | — |
| Q3 2024 | — |
| Q2 2024 | — |
| Q1 2024 | — |
| Q4 2023 | — |
| Q3 2023 | — |
| Q2 2023 | $3M |
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 4.2B diluted shares, down 1.7% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $500M |
| Q2 2026 | $1B |
| Q1 2026 | $2.5B |
TDS Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2026 | -1.8x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -1.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q3 2025 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q2 2025 | 3.6x | Elevated |
| Q1 2025 | 3.8x | Elevated |
| Q4 2024 | 3.7x | Elevated |
TDS has the edge over VZ on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
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's net debt is about 3.3 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), up from 2.8 years a year ago.
TDS Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 33.6 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 25.1 | Neutral |
TDS's weekly RSI is 34 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 25 (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).
TDS PE vs Communication Services Sector
| Metric | TDS | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 7.5x | 16x | 54% below |
| PE % | 0 | 26 | 26 pts below |
TDS has the edge over VZ on valuation relative to its sector.
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.
TDS Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $34.0 | 9.6% below |
| 20 week MA | $34.6 | 11% below |
| 50 week MA | $39.4 | 22% below |
| 100 week MA | $38.1 | 19% below |
| 200 week MA | $27.8 | 11% above |
TDS has fallen below most of its moving averages, though it's still 11% 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 TDS on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
TDS Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $24.9 | $18.3 | -27% |
| 2021 | $18.3 | $20.6 | +13% |
| 2022 | $20.6 | $10.6 | -49% |
| 2023 | $10.6 | $18.4 | +74% |
| 2024 | $18.4 | $34.8 | +90% |
| 2025 | $34.8 | $40.3 | +16% |
| 2026 YTD | $40.3 | $30.7 | -24% |
TDS has finished higher in four of the last six years, two of them by more than 50%. It's down 24% 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 TDS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.