AT&T (T) Competitors

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and AT&T (NYSE:T) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, community ranking, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, media sentiment, dividends, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Which has more risk and volatility, VZ or T?

Verizon Communications has a beta of 0.44, meaning that its stock price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, AT&T has a beta of 0.59, meaning that its stock price is 41% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in VZ or T?

62.1% of Verizon Communications shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 57.1% of AT&T shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.0% of Verizon Communications shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of AT&T shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Is VZ or T more profitable?

AT&T has a net margin of 7.42% compared to Verizon Communications' net margin of 7.30%. Verizon Communications' return on equity of 20.05% beat AT&T's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Verizon Communications	7.30%	20.05%	5.07%
AT&T	7.42%	13.97%	4.12%

Does the MarketBeat Community favor VZ or T?

AT&T received 317 more outperform votes than Verizon Communications when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 67.86% of users gave AT&T an outperform vote while only 58.94% of users gave Verizon Communications an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Verizon Communications	Outperform Votes 1121 58.94%	Underperform Votes 781 41.06%
AT&T	Outperform Votes 1438 67.86%	Underperform Votes 681 32.14%

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, VZ or T?

AT&T has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Verizon Communications. AT&T is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Verizon Communications, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Verizon Communications	$133.97B	1.38	$11.61B	$2.32	18.90
AT&T	$122.43B	1.33	$14.40B	$1.23	18.46

Does the media refer more to VZ or T?

In the previous week, AT&T had 31 more articles in the media than Verizon Communications. MarketBeat recorded 72 mentions for AT&T and 41 mentions for Verizon Communications. Verizon Communications' average media sentiment score of 1.21 beat AT&T's score of 0.74 indicating that Verizon Communications is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Verizon Communications	31 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	7 Neutral mention(s)	2 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
AT&T	36 Very Positive mention(s)	9 Positive mention(s)	16 Neutral mention(s)	6 Negative mention(s)	3 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is VZ or T a better dividend stock?

Verizon Communications pays an annual dividend of $2.71 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.2%. AT&T pays an annual dividend of $1.11 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.9%. Verizon Communications pays out 116.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. AT&T pays out 90.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Verizon Communications has increased its dividend for 20 consecutive years. Verizon Communications is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do analysts prefer VZ or T?

Verizon Communications currently has a consensus target price of $46.37, indicating a potential upside of 5.74%. AT&T has a consensus target price of $23.53, indicating a potential upside of 3.67%. Given Verizon Communications' higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Verizon Communications is more favorable than AT&T.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Verizon Communications	0 Sell rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.47
AT&T	1 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.58

Summary

Verizon Communications and AT&T tied by winning 11 of the 22 factors compared between the two stocks.