VZ
Verizon Communications Inc.
VZ's outlook is improving, though it still trails on the overall score.
WMG
Warner Music Group Corp.
WMG has the edge over VZ overall, supported by stronger valuation and stronger modeled upside.
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.
WMG Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| Healthy | |
| Stable |
WMG's revenue, profitability and cash flow are currently healthy, and its balance sheet is stable.
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.
WMG PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 18x | $31.67 | — |
| Current | 25x | $31.67 | — |
| Cheap | 31x | $39.57 | +25% |
| Fair | 36x | $46.67 | +47% |
| Expensive | 44x | $57.23 | +81% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
WMG 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.
WMG Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
WMG has the edge over VZ on the outlook, with more favorable revenue expectations.
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 WMG on earnings, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
WMG Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $1.72 | +33% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.29 | +126% |
| Q1 2026 | $0.87 | +1.2% |
| Q4 2025 | $0.59 | -39% |
| Q3 2025 | $0.70 | -15% |
| Q2 2025 | $0.57 | -45% |
| Q1 2025 | $0.86 | -16% |
| Q4 2024 | $0.97 | +6.6% |
| Q3 2024 | $0.82 | -3.5% |
WMG earned $1.29 per share over the past year, up 126% from the year before.
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's revenue has held roughly level: $34.3B last quarter, up 1.5% from the same quarter a year ago.
| 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 WMG on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
WMG Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $1.9B | +10% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.7B | +17% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.8B | +10% |
| Q3 2025 | $1.9B | +15% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.7B | +8.7% |
| Q1 2025 | $1.5B | -0.7% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.7B | -4.7% |
| Q3 2024 | $1.6B | +2.8% |
WMG's revenue has grown year over year for five quarters in a row: $1.9B last quarter, up 10% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 16% | +6.3 points |
| Q1 2026 | 16% | +4.3 points |
| Q4 2025 | 18% | +4.9 points |
| Q3 2025 | 7.7% | -1.1 points |
| Q2 2025 | 10% | -3.3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 11% | +3.4 points |
| Q4 2024 | 13% | -7.4 points |
| Q3 2024 | 8.8% | -4.6 points |
WMG's operating margin was 16% last quarter, up 6.3 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 has the edge over WMG on cash flow, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
WMG Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $114M | +1529% |
| Q1 2026 | $107M | +$153M |
| Q4 2025 | $390M | +32% |
| Q3 2025 | $203M | -1.9% |
| Q2 2025 | $7M | -96% |
| Q1 2025 | -$46M | +$34M |
| Q4 2024 | $296M | +44% |
| Q3 2024 | $207M | -13% |
WMG generated $814M in free cash flow over the past year, up 75% 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 WMG on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $500M |
| Q2 2026 | $1B |
| Q1 2026 | $2.5B |
WMG Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +1% | +5.4M shares |
| 1 year | +0.6% | +3.2M shares |
| 3 years | +1.6% | +8.5M shares |
| 5 years | +2% | +10.1M shares |
| Available history | +4.5% | +22.4M shares |
WMG has 524M diluted shares, up 0.6% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $48M |
| Q1 2026 | $22M |
| Q4 2025 | $26M |
| Q3 2025 | $13M |
| Q2 2025 | $1M |
| Q1 2025 | $17M |
| Q4 2024 | $2M |
| Q3 2024 | — |
WMG spent $109M buying back its own shares over the past year, about five times what it spent 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.
WMG Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 3.0x | Moderate |
| Q1 2026 | 3.6x | Elevated |
| Q4 2025 | 4.2x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 4.0x | Elevated |
| Q2 2025 | 4.3x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 3.5x | Elevated |
| Q4 2024 | 3.0x | Moderate |
| Q3 2024 | 3.3x | Elevated |
WMG 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).
WMG Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 60.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 80.8 | Overbought |
WMG's weekly RSI is 60 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 81 (overbought).
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 WMG on valuation relative to its sector.
WMG PE vs Communication Services Sector
| Metric | WMG | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 25x | 16x | 49% above |
| PE % | 2 | 25 | 23 pts below |
WMG is trading at 25x earnings, a 49% premium 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.
WMG Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $29.8 | 6.2% above |
| 20 week MA | $28.5 | 11% above |
| 50 week MA | $28.9 | 9.6% above |
| 100 week MA | $29.9 | 6% above |
| 200 week MA | $30.8 | 2.9% above |
WMG has climbed back above all five of its weekly moving averages, and it's now 2.9% 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 the edge over WMG on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
WMG Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $29.9 | $37.5 | +25% |
| 2021 | $37.5 | $43.5 | +16% |
| 2022 | $43.5 | $35.6 | -18% |
| 2023 | $35.6 | $35.8 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | $35.8 | $31.5 | -12% |
| 2025 | $31.5 | $30.0 | -4.8% |
| 2026 YTD | $30.0 | $31.7 | +5.7% |
WMG has finished lower in three of the last six years. It's up 5.7% so far in 2026.