Verizon Misses Fourth-Quarter Revenue Estimate, Beats On New Subscribers

Verizon Communications Inc on Tuesday missed quarterly revenue estimates but added almost twice as many new wireless subscribers as analysts expected.

Shares of Verizon, the largest U.S. wireless carrier by subscribers, were down 1.5 percent to US$54.25 before the bell.

Total operating revenue rose 1 percent to USD 34.28 billion in the fourth quarter, missing the average analyst estimate of USD 34.44 billion, according to Refinitiv data.

The company forecast an increase in 2019 capital spending in the range of USD 17 billion to USD 18 billion, including expanding commercial launch of its 5G wireless technology, from USD 16.7 billion last year.

Verizon launched 5G home internet in four cities last October and claimed to be the first to offer a commercial 5G product in the United States amid heated competition between major carriers. 5G offers faster wireless data speed.

The company said in December it was working with Samsung Electronics Co Ltd to launch 5G-enabled smartphones in the first half of 2019.

Verizon, which has 118 million wireless customers, said it added a net 653,000 so-called “postpaid” phone subscribers during the fourth quarter, beating the average estimate of 355,600, according to research firm FactSet.

Analysts pay attention to “postpaid” customers, or those with a recurring bill, because they are more valuable to carriers and remain with the company longer than prepaid customers.

The company lost 46,000 Fios video subscribers during the quarter, more than the 29,000 it lost last year, as viewers leave for cheaper internet television rather than pay for pricier cable packages. Analysts looked for 51,000 losses.

Net income attributable to the company fell to USD 1.94 billion, or 47 cents per share, in the quarter, from US$18.78 billion, or USD 4.56 per share, a year earlier, when it recorded a USD 16.8 billion one-time benefits from the U.S. tax overhaul.

Revenue for the Verizon Media Group, formerly called Oath and includes Yahoo and AOL, was US$2.1 billion during the quarter, down 5.8 percent from the prior year.

Excluding items, Verizon earned USD 1.12 per share, above the average estimate of USD 1.09 per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.―Channel NewsAsia