Verizon reported quarterly earnings of $1.31 per share for the quarter ended September 2026, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 per share. That compares with $1.21 per share a year earlier, and Zacks puts the earnings surprise at +3.15%. It is the fourth consecutive quarter in which the largest US mobile carrier has beaten consensus earnings expectations.

Revenue told a softer story. Verizon posted $34.31 billion, up 1.5% year on year from $33.82 billion, but below the consensus estimate of $34.77 billion - a miss of about 1.3-1.4%, with the two sources differing slightly on rounding. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates only once in the last four quarters.

Revenue softness behind the profit beat

Profitability held up better than sales. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation were $13.8 billion, slightly above the $13.73 billion consensus, while the operating margin rose to 25.2%, up from 24% in the same quarter last year. StockStory reported shares edging 1.4% higher to $45.25 immediately after the release.

Over the year so far, Verizon shares have added about 9.7%, behind the S&P 500's 11.4% gain, according to Zacks. That gap frames the quarter fairly: a profit beat, but not a growth breakthrough, from a business whose trailing twelve-month revenue of about $139.4 billion remains close to its level five years ago.

Investors will now watch management commentary and estimate revisions. Zacks currently rates the shares a Hold, with a coming-quarter consensus of $1.15 per share on $37.27 billion of revenue. The next test is whether service growth can accelerate, rather than whether costs alone can protect earnings.