With U.S. markets shut on Sunday, the key question for Verizon Communications Inc. is whether its 6.72% dividend yield now pays investors enough for the stock’s widening gap with faster-growing peers. For now, only partly. Verizon closed Friday at $42.12; adding the $0.7075 dividend that Friday buyers were no longer entitled to, its shareholder return for the July 6-10 week was about 0.6%. That cushioned a raw 1.0% price fall, but Verizon still trailed AT&T Inc., at about 4.0% including its dividend, T-Mobile US Inc., at 5.7%, and the S&P 500’s 1.2% gain. Investors paid more for growth and competitive confidence than for income alone.
