VZ
Verizon Communications Inc.
VZ has lower modeled downside risk, despite its lower overall score.
WLYB
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
WLYB has the edge over VZ overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger fundamentals.
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.
WLYB Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Under pressure |
WLYB's profitability and cash flow are currently strong, and its revenue is stable, but its balance sheet is under pressure.
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.
WLYB PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 14x | $52.89 | +3.6% |
| Current | 14x | $51.04 | — |
| Fair | 20x | $75.25 | +47% |
| Expensive | 26x | $95.76 | +88% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
WLYB has the edge over VZ in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
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.
WLYB Forward outlook
There aren't enough analyst estimates for WLYB to show an outlook.
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.
WLYB Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.71 | +108% |
| Q2 2026 | $4.16 | +172% |
| Q1 2026 | $2.87 | +293% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.88 | +$2.80 |
| Q3 2025 | $1.78 | +$3.79 |
| Q2 2025 | $1.53 | +$5.18 |
| Q1 2025 | $0.73 | +$3.59 |
| Q4 2024 | -$0.92 | +$1.15 |
WLYB has the edge over VZ on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
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 WLYB 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 WLYB on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
WLYB Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $386.4M | -2.6% |
| Q2 2026 | $447.9M | +1.2% |
| Q1 2026 | $410M | +1.3% |
| Q4 2025 | $421.8M | -1.1% |
| Q3 2025 | $396.8M | -1.7% |
| Q2 2025 | $442.6M | -5.5% |
| Q1 2025 | $404.6M | -12% |
| Q4 2024 | $426.6M | -13% |
WLYB's revenue fell from its 2022 peak and has held roughly level since: $386M last quarter, down 2.6% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 0.8% | -7 points |
| Q2 2026 | 25% | +7.3 points |
| Q1 2026 | 15% | +2.5 points |
| Q4 2025 | 17% | +2.3 points |
| Q3 2025 | 7.8% | +0.6 points |
| Q2 2025 | 17% | +2.6 points |
| Q1 2025 | 13% | +23 points |
| Q4 2024 | 15% | +5.6 points |
WLYB's operating margin was 0.8% last quarter, down 7 points from the same quarter a year ago.
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's free cash flow has been positive every quarter for seven years: $39B over the past year, up 1.5% from the year before.
WLYB Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$66.5M | +$30.5M |
| Q2 2026 | $144M | +9.8% |
| Q1 2026 | $167M | +26% |
| Q4 2025 | -$4.6M | +$15.2M |
| Q3 2025 | -$97M | +$6.2M |
| Q2 2025 | $131.2M | -20% |
| Q1 2025 | $132.9M | +46% |
| Q4 2024 | -$19.8M | +$1.6M |
WLYB has the edge over VZ on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
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 |
WLYB Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -4.7% | -2.5M shares |
| 1 year | -6% | -3.2M shares |
| 3 years | -8.2% | -4.5M shares |
| 5 years | -10% | -5.8M shares |
| Available history | -10% | -5.9M shares |
WLYB has the edge over VZ on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $15.2M |
| Q2 2026 | $30.1M |
| Q1 2026 | $34.9M |
| Q4 2025 | $21.6M |
| Q3 2025 | $13.5M |
| Q2 2025 | $25M |
| Q1 2025 | $10M |
| Q4 2024 | $12.9M |
WLYB spent $102M buying back its own shares over the past year, up 66% from the year before.
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.
WLYB Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 3.0x | Elevated |
| Q2 2026 | 1.5x | Healthy |
| Q1 2026 | 1.8x | Healthy |
| Q4 2025 | 2.1x | Moderate |
| Q3 2025 | 2.0x | Moderate |
| Q2 2025 | 1.9x | Healthy |
| Q1 2025 | 2.1x | Moderate |
| Q4 2024 | 3.1x | Elevated |
WLYB has the edge over VZ on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
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).
WLYB Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 55.7 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 57.4 | Neutral |
WLYB's weekly RSI is 56 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 57 (neutral).
VZ PE vs Communication Services Sector
| Metric | VZ | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 12x | 16x | 28% below |
| PE % | 58 | 26 | 32 pts above |
VZ has the edge over WLYB on valuation relative to its sector.
WLYB PE vs Communication Services Sector
| Metric | WLYB | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 14x | 16x | 17% below |
| PE % | 12 | 26 | 14 pts below |
WLYB is trading at 14x earnings, a 17% discount to the Communication Services sector's median of 16x.
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 is in an uptrend: it's above all five of its weekly moving averages, and 12% above its 200-week average.
WLYB Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $50.9 | 0.4% above |
| 20 week MA | $50.9 | 0.3% above |
| 50 week MA | $42.4 | 20% above |
| 100 week MA | $41.6 | 23% above |
| 200 week MA | $40.4 | 26% above |
WLYB is in an uptrend: it's above all five of its weekly moving averages, and 26% above its 200-week average.
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 finished lower in four of the last six years. It's up 15% so far in 2026.
WLYB Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $48.8 | $45.3 | -7.1% |
| 2021 | $45.3 | $55.6 | +23% |
| 2022 | $55.6 | $39.2 | -29% |
| 2023 | $39.2 | $32.2 | -18% |
| 2024 | $32.2 | $44.1 | +37% |
| 2025 | $44.1 | $33.0 | -25% |
| 2026 YTD | $33.0 | $51.0 | +55% |
WLYB has the edge over VZ on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.