New York, Jan 12, 2026, 14:22 EST — Regular session
- Verizon shares slipped roughly 1.6% in Monday afternoon trading.
- The stock goes ex-dividend on Jan. 12, with a 69-cent quarterly dividend set for Feb. 2.
- Verizon will release its fourth-quarter earnings on Jan. 30.
Verizon Communications Inc shares slipped 1.6% to $39.81 by Monday afternoon, following a Friday close of $40.46. During the session, the stock fluctuated between $39.52 and $40.08, with roughly 18.7 million shares traded.
The drop follows Verizon’s ex-dividend date, when shares begin trading without the upcoming dividend entitlement. According to Verizon’s investor site, the quarterly dividend is $0.69 per share, with both the ex-dividend and record dates on Jan. 12, and a payment date of Feb. 2. Yahoo Finance shows a forward dividend of $2.76 per share, signaling a yield of 6.82%. (Verizon)
The next real hurdle looms: earnings. Verizon plans to release its fourth-quarter 2025 results on Jan. 30, kicking off a webcast business update at 8 a.m. ET. Supporting materials will drop earlier, at 6:30 a.m. ET. (Verizon)
Wider markets jittered amid new political pressure on the Federal Reserve, fueling volatility. “We need see some type of action before the market will actually react to it in a meaningful way,” said Jordan Rizzuto, chief investment officer at GammaRoad Capital Partners. (Reuters)
Telecom stocks slipped as well. AT&T dropped roughly 1%, T-Mobile was down about 1%, even as the SPDR S&P 500 ETF edged up slightly.
Verizon’s drop mirrors its dividend payout almost exactly. The ex-dividend shift often looks like a selloff on the ticker, particularly when there’s little news from the company.
Investors are focused on whether Verizon can hold churn—the rate at which customers leave—steady as carriers ramp up promotions on wireless plans. In October, Verizon exceeded Wall Street profit and wireless subscriber growth expectations. The company also signaled it expects capital expenditures to stay within or below its $17.5 billion to $18.5 billion target. CEO Dan Schulman declared Verizon would “no longer be the hunting ground for competitors looking to gain share.” (Reuters)
The dividend is still both Verizon’s biggest appeal and its biggest limitation. When the company announced the payout back in December, Schulman described it as “an iron clad reflection” of Verizon’s dedication to shareholders. The company has now recorded 19 straight years of dividend increases. (Verizon)
The downside is well-known: if interest-rate expectations change once more or earnings reveal weaker cash flow, the yield argument weakens. Intense price competition might lead to bigger subsidies and discounts, squeezing margins before subscriber numbers feel the impact.
Traders are eyeing the earnings report set for Jan. 30, followed closely by the dividend payout on Feb. 2.
