AT&T beats on earnings as churn steadies and subscriber numbers rise

AT&T beats on earnings as churn steadies and subscriber numbers rise

Today, April 24, before the market open, AT&T reported first quarter earnings that beat the Wall Street consensus. The good news came from strong growth in its mobility and consumer wireline connectivity businesses, which make up about 80% of the company’s total revenues. AT&T (T) added 349K postpaid phone subscribers in the quarter, above a consensus estimate of 303,539, according to Bloomberg. Prepaid churn was 2.77% compared to 2.73% in the year-ago quarter. Remember that if you own AT&T, you own it for the dividend, currently 6.73%, and the possibility that the company will increase its payout.

Visa beats on earnings as worldwide payments volume climbs by 8%

Visa beats on earnings as worldwide payments volume climbs by 8%

Tuesday, April 23, after the market close Visa (V) reported adjusted net income of $2.51 a share. That ws 7 cent a share more than the consensus of estimates from Wall Street analysts. Earnings rose 7% year-over-year in the quarter. Revenue climbed 10% from a year prior to $8.8 billion, also exceeding Wall Street estimates

Special Report: It’s a New World for Dividend Investors: Pick #10 ABBV

Special Report: It’s a New World for Dividend Investors: Pick #10 ABBV

Bookkeeping. I added AbbVie (ABBV) as Pick #10 for My New World for Dividend Investing Special Report (You can find it in the Special Report section of this site along with all the content on this market and its trends for Dividend Income investors. But I’m reposting it as a stand alone pick so no one misses it. AbbVie (ABBV) has been a long-time member of the Dividend Portfolio with a gain of 213% since my January 29, 2020 pick. The question right now is Should it be a top dividend pick going forward? After all, the appreciation in the stock has dropped the dividend yield to 3.67%. (Add in a modest yield from buybacks and the total yield goes to 4.18%.) The most pressing question has been What will replace the $20 billion in annual revenue from the company’s blockbuster arthritis drug Humira (adalimumab) now that it faces competition from biosimilar generics? Now we’ve got some numbers to answer that question and to me they add up to AbbVie remaining a top dividend pick.

Special Report It’s a New World for Dividend Income Investors Stock Pick #8 Verizon

Special Report It’s a New World for Dividend Income Investors Stock Pick #8 Verizon

Bookkeeping. I added Verizon (VZ) as Pick #8 for my New World for Dividend Investing Special Report (You can find it in the Special Report section of this site along with all the content on this market and its trends for Dividend Income investors. But I’m reposting it as a stand alone pick so no one misses it. Dividend Pick #8: Verizon (VZ) The question for Verizon–and for dividend investors–is remarkably similar to the question for AT&T (T): Can a management that has run up a huge debt load find the discipline to use the company’s immense cash flows to pay down debt?