Why VZ Stock Is Falling Premarket Despite Verizon Hitting 5-Year High In Phone Additions, Raising 2026 Outlook

What happened

Verizon added 406,000 postpaid phone subscribers in the third quarter of 2026, up more than 820% from a year earlier, its best such quarter in five years. It raised 2026 guidance but revenue of $34.31 billion missed expectations, and the stock fell about 1% before the market opened.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

Verizon is signing up more phone customers and raising its 2026 outlook, which points to stronger demand for its services. Yet sales came in below what Wall Street expected, so investors are weighing customer growth against weaker revenue and pushing the stock down before trading begins.

Analyst inference

The company beat profit-per-share estimates and reported higher cash flow, which means more money available to fund operations and investments. It also signed an AI infrastructure deal with Amazon Web Services worth more than $2 billion, which supports future revenue and shows it is investing in computing capacity.

Analyst inference

What to watch

1. Watch whether Verizon's raised 2026 guidance holds as the year progresses and how the AI infrastructure deal with Amazon Web Services, worth more than $2 billion, affects reported revenue and capital spending, which means money put into long-term assets. Confirmed
2. Watch whether the gap between rising subscriber additions and revenue below estimates narrows, because it suggests customers may be paying less per account, which would pressure revenue and profit per sale in future quarters. Analyst inference
3. Watch for any management plan to explain the revenue shortfall and the pricing or promotional steps it may propose to lift sales, since these choices would shape revenue and costs for the coming year. Proposed

Evidence

• stocktwits.com