New York, Feb 9, 2026, 1:57 PM EST — Regular session
- Verizon picked up roughly 1.3% in the afternoon session, while shares of AT&T and T-Mobile edged lower.
- Director Clarence Otis Jr. isn’t seeking re-election at Verizon’s 2026 annual meeting, according to a filing.
- This week, U.S. jobs and inflation numbers are in focus, with traders eyeing the reaction in yields—any swing could jolt dividend-loaded telecom shares.
Verizon Communications Inc climbed roughly 1.3% to $46.92 on Monday, pulling ahead of its main U.S. telecom rivals after a board shakeup surfaced in a regulatory filing. AT&T slipped 0.4%, while T-Mobile US edged down 0.1%.
Verizon’s latest move keeps it hovering just shy of a new 52-week high, with recent momentum leaving the stock sensitive to even minor developments. Shares closed Friday at $46.31, roughly 2.7% under the $47.58 52-week peak notched the previous day, according to MarketWatch data. 1
This hits income stocks at a delicate moment. Eyes are on major U.S. jobs and inflation data due this week—reports that could reshape views on rates and push Treasury yields, tilting the landscape for high-dividend names. 2
Verizon disclosed in an 8-K Monday that Clarence Otis Jr., who sits on the board, notified the company on Feb. 4 he won’t seek another term when his seat is up at the 2026 annual shareholder meeting. No explanation was provided in the filing. 3
Otis has been a director on Verizon’s board since 2006, according to governance filings, and currently chairs the board’s human resources committee. 4
U.S. stocks got a lift on Monday, bargain-hunters jumping back in after last week’s slide. The broader tape moved higher, with investors eyeing economic numbers due out this week. 5
Verizon shares have been drifting since the late January earnings spark. The company, back on Jan. 30, projected 2026 adjusted earnings at $4.90 to $4.95 per share, set its annual free cash flow floor at $21.5 billion, and cleared the way for up to $25 billion in buybacks over three years, according to Reuters. CEO Dan Schulman put it bluntly: “Verizon will no longer be a hunting ground for our competitors.” 6
Fiber’s still central to the bull story here. In January, Verizon got the green light from California regulators for its $20 billion buyout of Frontier Communications, setting closing in motion. The acquisition brings Frontier’s network under Verizon’s umbrella, giving Verizon more ground to push bundled wireless and broadband packages. 7
Dividend-focused investors are eyeing Verizon’s most recent move: the company announced a $0.7075 quarterly dividend back on Jan. 30. Shares go ex-dividend April 10, with the payout scheduled for May 1. 8
Still, there’s a catch. Verizon is trying to keep subscriber numbers moving up while not blowing through the benefits with higher costs—a tricky balance. If price wars flare up again, cash flow gets squeezed, right when investors are watching leverage after Verizon’s hefty network and fiber spending.
Traders are watching for the January U.S. jobs data on Wednesday, then the CPI inflation figures Friday. Those releases are seen as the big movers for yields—and, in turn, could shake up demand for high-yield telecom names. 9
