Ten-Year Tally: Verizon Communications Stock Delivers $103 Bil Gain
In the last decade, Verizon Communications (VZ) stock has returned an impressive $103 Bil back to its shareholders through cold, hard cash via dividends and buybacks. Let’s look at some numbers and compare how this payout power stacks up against the market’s biggest capital-return machines.
As it turns out, VZ stock has returned the 18th highest amount to shareholders in history.
| VZ | S&P Median | |
|---|---|---|
| Dividends | $103 Bil | $4.5 Bil |
| Share Repurchase | $-0.0 | $5.6 Bil |
| Total Returned | $103 Bil | $9.4 Bil |
| Total Returned as % of Current Market Cap | 62.3% | 24.8% |
Why should you care? Because dividends and share repurchases represent direct, tangible returns of capital to shareholders. They also signal management’s confidence in the company’s financial health and ability to generate sustainable cash flows. And there are more stocks like that. Here is a list of the top 10 companies ranked by total capital returned to shareholders via dividends and stock repurchases.
Top 10 Stocks By Total Shareholder Return
- Verizon Communications Stock Capital Return Hits $102 Bil
- VZ Dips 5.1% In One Day, Time To Buy The Stock?
- S&P 500 Movers | Winners: AMD, TSLA, MPWR | Losers: VZ, SBUX, WDC
- Ten-Year Tally: VZ Hands Back $102 Bil to Shareholders
- A Decade of Rewards: VZ Returns $102 Bil to Investors
- S&P 500 Movers | Winners: VZ, HSY, ROST | Losers: EQT, EXE, CTRA
| Total Money Returned | As % Of Current Market Cap | via Dividends | via Share Repurchases | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAPL | $847 Bil | 23.0% | $141 Bil | $706 Bil |
| MSFT | $368 Bil | 10.9% | $169 Bil | $200 Bil |
| GOOGL | $357 Bil | 9.2% | $15 Bil | $342 Bil |
| XOM | $218 Bil | 39.0% | $146 Bil | $72 Bil |
| WFC | $212 Bil | 76.7% | $58 Bil | $153 Bil |
| META | $183 Bil | 12.0% | $9.1 Bil | $174 Bil |
| JPM | $181 Bil | 21.7% | $0.0 | $181 Bil |
| JNJ | $159 Bil | 30.3% | $105 Bil | $54 Bil |
| ORCL | $158 Bil | 30.7% | $35 Bil | $123 Bil |
| CVX | $157 Bil | 48.9% | $99 Bil | $58 Bil |
For full ranking, visit Buybacks & Dividends Ranking
What do you notice here? The total capital returned to shareholders as a % of the current market cap appears inversely proportional to growth prospects for reinvestments. Stocks like Meta (META) and Microsoft (MSFT) are growing much faster, in a more predictable way, compared to the others, but they have returned a much lower fraction of their market cap to shareholders.
That’s the flip side to high capital returns. Sure, they are attractive, but you have to ask yourself the question: Am I sacrificing growth and sound fundamentals? With that in mind, let’s look at some numbers for VZ. (see Buy or Sell Verizon Communications Stock for more details)
Verizon Communications Fundamentals
- Revenue Growth: 2.4% LTM and 0.5% last 3-year average.
- Cash Generation: Nearly 15.0% free cash flow margin and 23.0% operating margin LTM.
- Recent Revenue Shocks: The minimum annual revenue growth in the last 3 years for VZ was -1.1%.
- Valuation: Verizon Communications stock trades at a P/E multiple of 8.3
| VZ | S&P Median | |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Communication Services | – |
| Industry | Integrated Telecommunication Services | – |
| PE Ratio | 8.3 | 24.2 |
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| LTM* Revenue Growth | 2.4% | 6.4% |
| 3Y Average Annual Revenue Growth | 0.5% | 5.7% |
| Min Annual Revenue Growth Last 3Y | -1.1% | 0.2% |
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| LTM* Operating Margin | 23.0% | 18.8% |
| 3Y Average Operating Margin | 21.9% | 18.4% |
| LTM* Free Cash Flow Margin | 15.0% | 13.5% |
*LTM: Last Twelve Months
The table gives good overview of what you get from VZ stock, but what about the risk?
VZ Historical Risk
Verizon has shown it’s not immune to big sell-offs. The stock fell over 40% in both the Dot-Com Bubble and the Global Financial Crisis. During the 2022 inflation shock, it dropped about 40% again. Even in less severe pullbacks like 2018 and the Covid pandemic, declines were still close to 18-19%. Solid businesses don’t guarantee smooth rides. When markets turn, even steady dividend payers can take a hit.
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