Before the opening bell on Thursday, Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ ) released its fourth quarter financial results. The company reported a loss for the quarter due to employee pensions and benefit expenses.
VZ's Earnings in Brief
- The company reported a net loss of $2.15 billion, or 54 cents per share, compared to net income of $7.92 billion, or $1.76 per share, a year ago.
- Excluding special items, earnings were 71 cents per share, matching analysts’ view of 71 cents per share.
- Revenue rose 6.8% to $33.19 billion from $31.07 billion last year. Analysts expected to see $32.69 billion in revenue.
- Looking forward, VZ expects to see revenue growth of at least 4% in 2015.
VZ's Dividend
Verizon will pay its next 55 cent dividend on February 2. The stock went ex-dividend on January 7. We expect the company to declare its next dividend in March.
Stock Performance
Shares of Verizon were down 45 cents, or 0.93% during premarket trading Thursday.
The Bottom Line
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ ) is recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.
