Summary
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) reported its financial results for the third quarter and the first nine months of 2010. The company saw a slight decrease in overall operating revenues year-over-year for both periods, primarily due to the divestiture of certain operations and continued declines in the Wireline segment. However, the Domestic Wireless segment showed robust growth, with service revenues increasing significantly due to a growing customer base and a substantial rise in data average revenue per user (ARPU). This growth in wireless, particularly in data services, is a key driver for the company. Verizon continued to invest heavily in network infrastructure, with capital expenditures focused on expanding its wireless and fiber-optic networks. The company also completed the significant spin-off of its local exchange and landline assets to Frontier Communications, which generated substantial cash proceeds used to reduce debt. Despite ongoing challenges in the traditional wireline business, Verizon is strategically positioning itself for future growth through investments in its wireless and broadband offerings.
Financial Highlights
48 data points| Revenue | $26.48B |
| Cost of Revenue | $10.67B |
| Gross Profit | $15.81B |
| SG&A Expenses | $8.41B |
| Operating Expenses | $23.10B |
| Operating Income | $3.38B |
| Interest Expense | $597.00M |
| Net Income | $659.00M |
| EPS (Basic) | $0.23 |
| EPS (Diluted) | $0.23 |
| Shares Outstanding (Basic) | 2.83B |
| Shares Outstanding (Diluted) | 2.83B |
Key Highlights
- 1Total operating revenues decreased by 2.9% for the three months ended September 30, 2010, and 0.7% for the nine months ended September 30, 2010, compared to the prior year periods, largely due to divestitures and wireline segment declines.
- 2Domestic Wireless segment revenues increased by 6.0% for the quarter and 4.9% for the nine months, driven by a 7.1% increase in total customers and a significant 17.6% rise in data ARPU for the quarter.
- 3Wireline segment revenues decreased by 3.6% for the quarter and 2.9% for the nine months, impacted by declining traditional voice services, although Mass Markets saw slight growth due to FiOS expansion.
- 4Capital expenditures remained high at $11.8 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2010, with a focus on wireless network expansion (including 4G LTE) and fiber-optic (FiOS) build-out.
- 5The company completed the spin-off of its local exchange and landline activities to Frontier Communications on July 1, 2010, generating approximately $3.1 billion in cash used for debt reduction.
- 6Verizon Wireless reported total data revenue of $5.06 billion for the quarter, representing 35.7% of service revenue, up from 30.5% in the prior year period.
- 7Net income attributable to Verizon decreased significantly to $1.09 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2010, compared to $4.30 billion in the prior year, impacted by various charges and the spin-off transaction.