NEW YORK, July 3, 2026, 08:13 (EDT)
- U.S. stock markets were closed Friday for Independence Day observance. Verizon’s last session was Thursday.
- Verizon finished the day at $42.56, up 1.36%. Shares were still off 8.55% for the week.
- The upcoming $0.7075 dividend is roughly 1.7% of Thursday’s closing price. That payout looks minor compared to the week’s drop in the stock.
- SpaceX NASDAQ:SPCX risk is starting to factor into telecom multiples, not only in satellite talk.
U.S. stock markets are closed Friday, July 3, for the Independence Day holiday, leaving Verizon Communications Inc. NYSE:VZ with no new trading as it heads into the long weekend. Income investors face a big question: is the 6% yield enough while new threats from SpaceX can erase several quarters of dividends in a week? The NYSE calls Friday a 2026 holiday. Verizon last traded at $42.56 as of Thursday’s close, up 1.36% that day but 8.55% lower over five days.
Verizon’s Thursday bounce left the week’s trend in place. WSJ data show shares fell from $46.54 on June 26 to $42.56 on July 2. Between June 29 and July 2, about 232 million shares traded, an average of 58 million a day. That’s more than double the 65-day average volume of 26.56 million shares shown by MarketWatch.
| Verizon tape | Close | Day move | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 26 | $46.54 | up 1.02% | 38.13 mln |
| June 29 | $44.10 | down 5.24% | 55.39 mln |
| June 30 | $42.34 | down 3.99% | 60.54 mln |
| July 1 | $41.99 | off 0.83% | 57.14 mln |
| July 2 | $42.56 | up 1.36% | 59.06 mln |
Verizon has lost about $16.6 billion in market value over the last five days, based on MarketWatch’s market cap figure of $177.71 billion. The company bought back $2.5 billion worth of shares in Q1 and kept its outlook for at least $3 billion in 2026 buybacks. The next quarterly dividend is $0.7075 per share, with July 10 as the ex-dividend and record date. The payment is set for Aug. 3.
| Investor cash/equity check | Amount |
|---|---|
| Verizon closed Thursday with a market cap of $177.71 bln | $177.71 bln |
| Shares lost about $16.6 bln in value over five days | about $16.6 bln |
| Buybacks for Q1 2026 totaled $2.5 bln | $2.5 bln |
| Buyback target for 2026 is at least $3.0 bln | at least $3.0 bln |
| Next payout is $0.7075 a share | $0.7075/share |
This wasn’t just about Verizon. AT&T Inc. NYSE:T dropped 9.42% in five days, and T-Mobile US Inc. NASDAQ:TMUS lost 2.82%, according to MarketWatch data. The spread stands out. T-Mobile took less of a hit, but all three stocks faced the same SpaceX mobile-risk news.
| U.S. telecom peer move | Ticker | Five-day move |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T Inc. | NYSE:T | -9.42% |
| Verizon Communications Inc. | NYSE:VZ | -8.55% |
| T-Mobile US Inc. | NASDAQ:TMUS | -2.82% |
Oppenheimer analyst Timothy Horan said investors might be “underestimating” risks from low-earth-orbit satellite broadband, MarketWatch reported. Reuters also noted Oppenheimer expects SpaceX’s Starlink to step up competition for cable companies and said AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile could see subscriber and revenue losses pick up. MarketWatch
Now there’s concern SpaceX has bigger plans for Starlink. The Wall Street Journal said the company wants Starlink to connect regular mobile phones in cities, not just link up rural homes or aircraft. The Journal also noted there are still big obstacles with bandwidth and networks on the ground. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell talked with investors about setting up a ground-based network for phones earlier this year, according to the Journal.
Verizon is making its case for a comeback. CEO Dan Schulman said in April that first-quarter numbers showed the turnaround was “gaining momentum.” Verizon bumped up its 2026 adjusted EPS growth target to 5% to 6%. The company posted its first positive first-quarter postpaid phone net adds since 2013, reported adjusted EBITDA at $13.4 billion and free cash flow of $3.8 billion. Verizon
Verizon’s operating case faces higher hurdles now. The company cut activation and upgrade fees, started a new loyalty program in mid-June, and kept 2026 financial guidance steady. Alfonso Villanueva, interim CEO of Verizon Consumer Group, told Reuters, “How do we create a value proposition that makes sense for every cohort?” He also said, “We are convinced that our retention will be even higher.” Reuters
Verizon last week announced a deal to shake up its international business. Verizon and BT Group (LON:BT.A) will merge their international enterprise units in a 50:50 joint venture, creating an operation with $4 billion in annual sales. Verizon agreed to pay BT $625 million as part of the transaction. BT CEO Allison Kirkby told Reuters the market remains “very fragmented” and sees the partnership as possible groundwork for more consolidation. Schulman said the joint venture gives international customers “the clear answer” for cross-border cloud services. Reuters
Verizon only saw a modest gain Thursday as the bigger market moved up. The Dow climbed 1.14%. The S&P 500 barely budged, closing at 7,483.24. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.80%, according to WSJ. The telecom sector rose 3.39% on Verizon’s WSJ quote page, but Verizon itself gained just 1.36%.
| Last trading day before holiday | Move |
|---|---|
| Verizon | up 1.36% |
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | up 1.14% |
| S&P 500 | little changed |
| Nasdaq Composite | down 0.80% |
| WSJ telecom services group | up 3.39% |
Quiet week on the news side, but traders are watching price levels. U.S. markets reopen after the holiday. Verizon is set to go ex-dividend July 10. The company’s Q2 numbers are due July 24, with the call at 8:30 a.m. ET. Q2 materials are out at 7:00 a.m. ET, Verizon said.
