Can Solid Wireless Business Aid Verizon's (VZ) Q4 Earnings?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is scheduled to release fourth-quarter 2019 results before the opening bell on Jan 30. In the last reported quarter, adjusted earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. In the fourth quarter, Verizon is likely to have recorded higher year-over-year revenues, driven by strength in its Wireless business.

Factors at Play

During the fourth quarter, the telecom behemoth launched 5G Ultra Wideband network in select locations of Miami, FL and Greensboro, NC, among others, to bring the tally of 5G mobility service cities to 31. The high-speed low latency service is available with seven 5G-enabled devices. This is expected to be reflected in fourth-quarter results.

In the fourth quarter, Verizon became the first U.S. carrier to deploy 5G Ultra Wideband service at Newport News Shipbuilding (“NNS”) in Newport News, VA. This equipped NNS with enhanced network coverage, low-latency data transmission, advanced robotics, AR/VR, real-time analytics and machine learning, thereby reinforcing reliable and secured connectivity with an agile network infrastructure.

Verizon also teamed up with Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Web Services to create and deploy low latency applications to mobile devices using 5G and became the first telecom carrier in the world to offer such service. The company will leverage AWS Wavelength to deploy consistent and flexible AWS experience across 5G edge compute facilities. Such technology collaborations are likely to have translated into higher revenues for the Business segment.

The company has aggressively expanded its fiber optics networks to support 4G LTE and upcoming 5G wireless standards as well as wireline connections, which is likely to have translated into healthy segment margin for the quarter.

Buoyed by such tailwinds, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for total revenues for the company stands at $34,520 million. It generated revenues of $34,281 million in the prior-year quarter. The consensus estimate for earnings is currently pegged at $1.15 per share, indicating a rise from $1.12 reported in the year-earlier quarter.

Key Developments in Q4

During the fourth quarter, Verizon collaborated with leading tech behemoths — Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Incorporated and Ericsson (BS:ERICAs) — to initiate a trial run for demonstrating the feasibility of next-gen networking technology Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). With DSS, Verizon will provide Ultra Wideband network services in areas that utilize 4G spectrum to drive 5G signal, enabling seamless interchange of networking infrastructure between 4G and 5G devices based on traffic demand to minimize spectrum waste. The DSS strategy will revolutionize the introduction of new 5G technologies that allows the deployment of both 4G and 5G in the same band and proactively allocates spectrum resources between them.

Earnings Whispers

Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Verizon this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. This is perfectly the case here.

Earnings ESP: Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate Estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is +0.32%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: Verizon has a Zacks Rank #3.

Other Stocks to Consider

Here are some other companies that you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:

Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET) is set to release quarterly numbers on Feb 13. It has an Earnings ESP of +2.72% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Earnings ESP for Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV) is +1.06% and it carries a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is set to report quarterly numbers on Feb 4.

The Earnings ESP for Altice USA, Inc. (NYSE:ATUS) is +11.11% and it carries a Zacks Rank of 3. The company is scheduled to report quarterly numbers on Feb 12.

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