Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) experienced a significant intraday surge of 7.46% on Friday, driven by the release of its fourth-quarter 2025 financial results that surpassed analyst expectations and the announcement of a major capital return program.

The telecom giant reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.09 for Q4, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05. Revenue came in at $36.4 billion, exceeding forecasts. A major highlight was the addition of 616,000 postpaid phone subscribers, marking the company's highest quarterly wireless subscriber growth in six years and trouncing expectations of 417,250 additions.

Investors reacted positively to Verizon's optimistic outlook for 2026, which includes adjusted EPS guidance of $4.90 to $4.95, above the $4.76 analyst estimate. The company also unveiled plans to return approximately $55 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases by the end of 2028. This includes a quarterly dividend increase to $0.7075 per share and a new $25 billion share repurchase program, with at least $3 billion in buybacks expected in 2026. These results, achieved under new CEO Dan Schulman's leadership, signal a potential turnaround for the company as it focuses on wireless and broadband convergence following its Frontier acquisition.