Verizon (VZ) Offering Possible 5.93% Return Over the Next 6 Calendar Days

Verizon's most recent trend suggests a bearish bias. One trading opportunity on Verizon is a Bear Call Spread using a strike $57.50 short call and a strike $62.50 long call offers a potential 5.93% return on risk over the next 6 calendar days. Maximum profit would be generated if the Bear Call Spread were to expire worthless, which would occur if the stock were below $57.50 by expiration. The full premium credit of $0.28 would be kept by the premium seller. The risk of $4.72 would be incurred if the stock rose above the $62.50 long call strike price.

The 5-day moving average is moving down which suggests that the short-term momentum for Verizon is bearish and the probability of a decline in share price is higher if the stock starts trending.

The 20-day moving average is moving down which suggests that the medium-term momentum for Verizon is bearish.

The RSI indicator is at 47.16 level which suggests that the stock is neither overbought nor oversold at this time.

To learn how to execute such a strategy while accounting for risk and reward in the context of smart portfolio management, and see how to trade live with a successful professional trader, view more here

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LATEST NEWS for Verizon

Stock Showdown: AT&T Stock and Verizon Are Both Risky Plays
Fri, 12 Jul 2019 00:00:42 +0000
When it comes to finding great dividends, the telecoms can't be beat. Thanks to their stable demand and fixed operating costs, the major telecommunication providers have long been able to provide their investors with a steady income and high yields. That's certainly been true for giants AT&T (NYSE:T) and Verizon (NYSE:VZ) over the last decade or so. And, as a result, both VZ and T stock have become staples of many retirees' portfolios.Source: Google However, growth at both AT&T and Verizon has slowed in recent years. Wireless saturation is near 100% and upstarts like T-Mobile (NASDAQ:TMUS) have driven down prices for wireless and data plans. That hit T & VZ right in their wallets. To compensate for that, each telecom took a similar, yet different path to finding future growth.The question now is: which of the two major telecom stocks — AT&T or Verizon — makes more sense for your portfolio today?InvestorPlace – Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips VZ & T Stock Make Some Big MovesThese days, investors can't think of Verizon or AT&T as strictly old-fashioned telecoms. It's no secret that landline usage has fallen off the map. Meanwhile, new wireless subscriber growth has basically flatlined. At this point, everyone has a smartphone and perhaps a secondary device hooked up to wireless networks. Moreover, thanks to fungibility among carriers and price wars, consumers are able to switch with ease. Because of this, the major U.S. telecoms like T and VZ have had to look elsewhere for growth. * 10 Stocks to Sell for an Economic Slowdown For AT&T, that meant becoming a media powerhouse. Cable television provider Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) set the trend when it purchased NBCUniversal. T followed a similar playbook by adding exposure to cable with its buyout of DirecTV. These gave the ability to offer triple-play services as well as wireless service to its consumers. Like CMCSA, AT&T then added content origination with its mega-sized buyout of Time Warner. This acquisition gave T ownership of HBO, Turner Broadcasting as well as Warner Bros. entire movie catalog. The idea was that AT&T could now bundle original content with its own private network of mobile/wireless video and satellite services.Verizon is playing in the same sandbox, albeit it's building a different castle. VZ decided to go hard into web properties. This included buying AOL and Yahoo. The idea was that the firm could become a major player in digital advertising and the mobile web. The firm also beefed its other tech operations with Telogis and Fleetmatics Group. These cloud operations allowed businesses to take advantage of fleet operations software that can be used on VZ's wide and high-speed wireless networks. Not What VZ Stock & T Stock Bargained ForAs you can see, the shift in both AT&T and Verizon was designed to offer tangential services using their huge networks. T was setting itself to be an all-in-one media and content provider. It would make the movies and then distribute them over its satellite and mobile video operations. And there would be some exclusivity in that. AT&T recently unveiled its plans for its own streaming service to accomplish this goal. VZ went hard into the lucrative world of digital advertising, data mining and cloud services.Unfortunately, neither operation has proved too fruitful for either T or VZ.The combination of AOL and Yahoo is basically worthless for Verizon. At the end of last year, the firm wrote down the goodwill of the deals by just under half — or a whopping a $4.6 billion. And the hits kept coming. Verizon Media showed a big 7.2% decline in year-over-year revenues. The company specifically blamed lower ad revenues for the dip.Things haven't been great for AT&T either. It turns out providing cable services is just as sticky as providing wireless ones. People continue to cut the cord at a fevered pace and adopt streaming instead. That's hurt DirecTV in a big way. The firm has lost nearly 1.3 million video subscribers over the last two quarters. It's streaming service — DirecTV Now — has lost nearly 20% of its total net subscribers in the last 6 months. This is a huge issue if your entire M.O. was getting people to watch your produced, movies and T.V. shows on your exclusive networks. The firm continues to bleed traditional cable subscribers — via its U-Verse business — as well.So, neither transition is working out the way AT&T and Verizon planned. To make matters worse, both stocks are now heavily indebted because of the buyouts, mergers and plans to change their business model. At the end of March, T had more than $169 billion in debt on its balance sheet. Verizon is doing a tad better at $113 billion. That's a major problem for both stocks if these efforts don't pan out. Should You Buy T Stock or VZ Stock?Given the struggles at both AT&T and Verizon, neither one makes a compelling purchase right now. Those debt loads are pretty scary considering the assets used to make them aren't performing as planned. Honestly, I'd be worried about their dividends — the reason why people buy them in the first place — if things don't improve.But if I had to make the decision today, I'd most likely go with Verizon. The firm has at least acknowledged that its move in advertising was a poor choice and has removed the Band-Aid on these operations. The write-downs, layoffs and cost-cutting efforts will make it much easier for the firm to bounce back. And these brands — like Tech Crunch and the Huff Po — are valuable to someone, if it decides to sell them. Meanwhile, it's gone gung-ho on its 5G network services. * 7 Stocks to Buy for Monster Growth in the Second Half of 2019 On the flip side, AT&T has decided to double-down on its problems — launching four different streaming services in a bid to regain customers.In the end, both major telecoms have plenty of warts and may not be big buys at all. But if investors were looking at them both, VZ stock gets the slight nod over T stock.At the time of writing, Aaron Levitt did not hold a position in any stock mentioned. The post Stock Showdown: AT&T Stock and Verizon Are Both Risky Plays appeared first on InvestorPlace.

Verizon CEO Talks 5G, China, Trade And More In CNBC Interview
Thu, 11 Jul 2019 19:43:54 +0000
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ ) CEO Hans Vestberg spoke with CNBC's Julia Boorstin from the sidelines of the Allen & Co. Conference in a conversation touching on issues affecting the telecom space. …

Exclusive: Verizon sought buyers for Yahoo Finance – sources
Thu, 11 Jul 2019 17:49:11 +0000
While the U.S. wireless carrier never launched an official sales process, it quietly solicited interest in Yahoo Finance even as it was revamping its media division, previously named Oath and recently renamed Verizon Media. Yahoo has emerged as the centerpiece of Verizon Media's plans to rescue the once-dominant collection of internet assets which has been in decline since the late 2000s. “We do not comment on rumors and speculation,” Verizon Media said in a statement on Thursday.

Alibaba Stock Cools, but July’s Loss Likely to Prove a Blip
Thu, 11 Jul 2019 13:41:03 +0000
Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) closed on Wednesday at $166.93, slipping 1.11% on the day. That continues a downward trend for the past week, but investors shouldn't be overly concerned.Source: Shutterstock Since the start of June and into early July, Alibaba stock has been recovering from a miserable May. Even with yesterday's loss, BABA stock price is up nearly 11% compared to where it was May 31. * 10 Stocks to Sell for an Economic Slowdown There are more positives to look forward to over the next month or so, including an earnings report in August that's expected to deliver good news for Alibaba investors.InvestorPlace – Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips May Was a Wretched Month for Alibaba StockAfter starting the month with modest growth, BABA stock slipped over the past week. Wednesday's 1.11% slide contributed to an overall drop nearing 5% compared to the $175.45 Alibaba stock closed at on July 2. However, this has been a minor setback compared to the 21% plunge investors faced through the month of May.At that point, tensions between the U.S. and China had escalated. The trade war between the countries was threatening to heat up with new rounds of tariffs. Online commerce is Alibaba's core business, and the fear that a full-blown trade war would hurt economic growth in China — and therefore impact spending by Chinese consumers — was a big concern. Nervous investors dumped BABA stock.Adding to the situation in May was fallout from the Verizon (NYSE:VZ) and Yahoo deal. On May 15, the fund created to hold Yahoo's Alibaba stock announced it would begin selling off those shares on May 20. The prospect of a flood of shares hitting the market only added to the BABA stock price downward spiral that month. Positives for Alibaba Stock and InvestorsWhile several factors combined to hit Alibaba stock hard in May — knocking it back 21% in the month — investors have seen more positives in the company since then and there should be more good news on the horizon.Midway through June, BABA stock got a boost following confirmation the company was filing for a listing on the Hong Kong stock market. The move will allow mainland Chinese investors to buy shares in the company, and it's expected it could put $20 billion in the company's coffers. Not quite as spectacular as Alibaba's record setting $25 billion IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, but enough to inspire investor confidence.In addition, the company will report earnings in August and it is expected that there will be positive news for investors. When the company last reported earnings in March, revenue was up 52% year-over-year, with both revenue and EPS significantly exceeding analyst expectations. In addition, the company's cloud computing unit saw 76% growth on the quarter and grew its share of the Asian market — while Amazon's (NYSE:BABA) AWS lost ground in the region.Last August, Alibaba caught analysts off guard with a mixed earnings report that included 61% growth in revenue, but an earnings miss. As a result Alibaba stock dropped over 2%. This time around (BABA is expected to report earnings on August 22), analysts are looking for big revenue growth, continued strength in that cloud computing business and $1.13 EPS, compared to the $0.66 EPS the company delivered last August.So long as Alibaba hits those numbers in August and there are no sudden escalations in the trade war between the U.S. and China, there's a good chance that the BABA stock slide of the past week will turn out to be a blip. And Alibaba stock will continue to climb back toward the year-high $195 level it hit at the end of May.As of this writing, Brad Moon did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. More From InvestorPlace * 2 Toxic Pot Stocks You Should Avoid * 10 Stocks to Sell for an Economic Slowdown * 7 Marijuana Penny Stocks That I May Buy * 7 of The Best Schwab ETFs for Low Fees The post Alibaba Stock Cools, but July's Loss Likely to Prove a Blip appeared first on InvestorPlace.

Trump's Daughter-in-Law to Lead Outreach to Female Voters: Campaign Update
Wed, 10 Jul 2019 21:34:19 +0000
(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump is hoping his daughter-in-law can help shore up his standing with female voters.Lara Trump — wife of the president’s son, Eric Trump — will launch the “Women for Trump Coalition“ aimed at aiding the president’s re-election campaign. It will debut next Tuesday at a casino in suburban Philadelphia, where she will be joined by Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, former White House communications aide Mercedes Schlapp, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, the ex-Fox News personality who is dating Trump’s eldest son.“The Women for Trump coalition will be a national effort to mobilize and empower women who support President Trump to help get the message of ‘Promises Made. Promises Kept’ into their communities across America,“ Hannah Castillo, director of coalitions for the Trump campaign, said in a statement.Trump, who has frequently come under fire for his past treatment of women, has consistently struggled to win the approval of female voters, with 52% of women surveyed earlier this month by Gallup saying they believed the president should be impeached. Trump won 41% of the female vote in 2016.‘Antichrist’ Sanders Lists Hit Parade of Haters (2:51 p.m.)Bernie Sanders published a list of “anti-endorsements” on his presidential campaign website with quotes from JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and other luminaries of Wall Street and beyond.“Bernie Sanders, in my opinion, doesn’t have a clue,” Leon Cooperman, a former partner at Goldman Sachs, is quoted as saying.“It has the potential to be a dangerous moment,” Blankfein said of Sanders’s campaign.“In 2016 I saw Bernie Sanders and the kids around him. I thought: ‘This is the antichrist!”’ said Home Depot Co-Founder Kenneth Langone.Sanders, a Vermont senator and avowed democratic socialist, is running a campaign focused on taking on the billionaires and Wall Street elite. The web page approvingly quotes Franklin Roosevelt — “I ask you to judge me by the enemies I have made” — and Frederick Douglass.In a statement Sanders said of the business leaders quoted: “we welcome their hatred.”Other quotes listed include:“The senator’s uninformed views are, in a word, contemptible” — Lowell McAdam, former Verizon CEO.“If Bernie Sanders became president, I think stock prices should be 30% to 40% lower than they are now” — Stanley Druckenmiller, hedge fund manager. — Emma KinerySteyer Kicks Off Spending on National TV Ads (2:22 p.m.)Billionaire Tom Steyer is on a roll. Two days after announcing his presidential candidacy, he has already spent $1.4 million on TV ads in the key first nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.The ads also will run nationally on CNN and MSNBC for two weeks.Steyer, 62, hinted at a run a 2020 run early this year, but showed up in Des Moines, Iowa, in January only to announce he had decided against it. The hedge fund manager, who has been focused on impeaching President Donald Trump, announced his candidacy in a video message on Monday.Few candidates have done a single TV ad yet, and none has spent as much money as Steyer has. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York launched ads Tuesday targeting Trump in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, where she will be traveling this week. Representatives Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Seth Moulton of Massachusetts ran TV ads in June. Former Maryland Representative John Delaney, the first to join the race, bought a TV ad during the 2018 Super Bowl. — Emma KinerySenate Leaders Clash Over Election Security (1:23 p.m.)Senate leaders clashed on the chamber floor about how Congress could prevent foreign interference in the 2020 elections, as the Trump administration was scheduled Wednesday to give lawmakers a long-awaited briefing about its efforts to prevent a repeat of Russian meddling in 2016.House and Senate lawmakers will be briefed by a group of top administration officials including FBI Director Christopher Wray, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan. They will appear after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pushed for months for the meetings, with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell only recently getting on board.Still, the two top Senate leaders continue to spar over whether any further legislation addressing election security will be needed this year. McConnell made no promises.Instead, the Republican took to the Senate floor to blame former President Barack Obama for being too soft on Russia, which he said paved the way for the 2016 election meddling. He insisted that under the Trump administration there has been “greater success” including the indictment of 28 Russian nationals and entities by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and passage of $380 million in funding to help states combat potential hacking.Schumer insisted Republicans “fought tooth and nail” against that funding and that top GOP leaders continue to show little interest in measures that would help protect state voting systems and combat foreign influence through social media. — Laura LitvanDe Blasio Seizes Upon Women’s Soccer Parade (11:13 a.m.)New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who’s been traveling across the U.S. trying to ignite interest in a long-shot campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, seized upon the Women’s World Cup parade in his city to tout his progressive credentials.He kicked off the parade on Wednesday vowing that as president he would “pursue executive action” if necessary to “guarantee equity in resources and pay for women’s and men’s national sports teams.” Team members have sued the U.S. Soccer Federation over the issue.The mayor addressed the crowd, saying, “The equality of women must be guaranteed in this nation,” as thousands chanted, “Equal Pay USA.”The event featured the women’s team waving to tens of thousands of people as they made their way on the back of a truck up the “Canyon of Heroes,” a half-mile stretch that fans packed on both sides of lower Broadway. Shredded recycled paper floated down from office towers above.The event was bound to take on political significance after Megan Rapinoe, one of the team’s stars and leaders, rejected any possibility that the team would visit Trump’s White House. Trump posted messages on Twitter attacking Rapinoe. — Henry GoldmanWarren Asks Companies to Disclose Climate Risk (10:30 a.m.)Senator Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday reintroduced legislation requiring publicly owned companies to disclose their exposure to climate-related risks.The measure is cosponsored by three fellow Democratic presidential contenders, Senators Kamala Harris of California, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, along with New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.Climate change is a top issue for Democratic voters in polls. Warren’s bill is the second legislation on the topic offered by a 2020 candidate this week. Senator Bernie Sanders, one of the top-tier competitors for the 2020 nomination, unveiled a resolution calling for “massive” federal action to reverse the effects of global warming that is also cosponsored by Ocasio-Cortez.Warren’s Climate Risk Disclosure Act requires companies to disclose to the Securities and Exchange Commission “critical information” about exposure to climate risks like greenhouse gas emissions and a company’s total amount of fossil-fuel related assets. The bill aims to encourage companies to more quickly switch to more efficient energy sources. Warren originally introduced the bill last year. — Emma KineryHarris, Warren, Sanders Boost Staff Diversity (5 a.m.)Top 2020 Democratic presidential candidates this year bolstered the share of staffers in their Senate offices who are women and minorities, according to a report obtained by Bloomberg News.Warren, Harris and Sanders all hired more diverse staffers in their congressional offices. Women and minorities are key constituencies for the Democratic nomination and the general election against President Donald Trump next year.Harris hired the most racially diverse workforce of the presidential candidates, with 70% of her office identifying as nonwhite this year, compared with 66% in the same period of 2018 and 61% in 2017. Almost two-thirds of her staff was female, according to the report.The share of Sanders’ team that identified as a racial minority rose to 28% this year from 18% in 2018. Since 2017, more than 60% of his staff has been women. On Warren’s staff, 48% identified as nonwhite, compared with 36% last year and 34% in 2017. Women represented 59% of her staff this year, compared with 51% last year.By contrast, Gillibrand saw a slight decline in the share of staffers who are racial minorities. In her office, 46% identified as nonwhite this year, compared with 53% in 2018 and 48% in 2017. She tied with Sanders in hiring women workers, with 63% of the workforce identifying as female.The majority of New Jersey Senator Cory Booker’s staff — 61% — are people of color, though that represents a slight decline from last year. Booker increased the share of women in his office from last year. Klobuchar increased both the share of racial minorities and women on her team, but she still has less than 50% in both categories.The annual survey by Senate Democrats offers a snapshot of the diversity of lawmakers’ offices as of June 30. — Naomi NixHarris Joins Forces With Ocasio-Cortez on HousingHarris and Ocasio-Cortez of New York are teaming up to introduce legislation to remove barriers that prevent people with criminal records and their families from obtaining federal housing.Harris, who’s vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, has been criticized for her past work as a prosecutor and for not being as progressive as contenders like Warren or Sanders. Working with the young star of the progressive left to address criminal justice reform could help remedy that perception. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez already have teamed up on two measures.The Fair Chance at Housing Act would remove the “one-strike” policy, which calls for tenants to be evicted for a single instance of criminal activity, and the “no-fault” policy, where entire families can be evicted because of the actions of a single member.The bill raises the standard of evidence public housing authorities need when determining whether to screen or evict a tenant. It also bars the use of “suspicion-less drug and alcohol testing” by landlords and public housing authorities. Harris over the weekend announced another housing proposal of a $100 billion program to help African-Americans buy homes. — Emma KineryThird Democratic Debate Will Be in HoustonThe Democratic presidential candidates will meet in Houston on Sept. 12 and 13 for the third debate of the 2020 campaign season. Their hosts will be ABC News and Univision, ABC said in a statement on Tuesday night, which added that the format, venue and moderators had yet to be announced.The first debate, in Miami last month, was in a swing state, as will be the next one, in Detroit on July 30 and 31. Texas, however, remains a solidly red state despite Democratic aspirations to at least turn it purple. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez, in a statement announcing the Houston debate, hailed Democratic “victories all across the state.”But a popular Texas Democrat, Beto O’Rourke, failed to unseat Republican Senator Ted Cruz last November. O’Rourke, of course, is now running for president. — John HarneyComing Up Wednesday:Most of the Democratic presidential candidates are off the trail. Self-help author Marianne Williamson will be in Charlotte, North Carolina; Entrepreneur Andrew Yang will be in Manchester, New Hampshire.Here’s What Happened Tuesday:Tom Steyer, the billionaire hedge fund manager turned liberal activist, announced Tuesday that he is entering the crowded race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Steyer, 62, has two trademark issues: impeaching Trump and climate change. He hinted at a run a 2020 run early this year, but showed up in Des Moines, Iowa, in January only to announce he had decided against it. In his first day as a presidential candidate, Steyer already spent $1.05 million on TV ads placed in key states, like Nevada, South Carolina, and Iowa, as well as Boston.Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, earned more than $15 million during their first two years out of the White House, according to a financial disclosure. The bulk of the income came from payments for the memoirs they’ve each written. The couple’s total income in 2017 was $11 million and nearly $4.6 million in 2018. Their net worth is between $2.2 million and $8 million, according to a separate financial disclosure filed Tuesday that doesn’t include their real estate holdings. By contrast, Biden’s disclosure with the federal Office of Government Ethics for 2016, his last year at the White House, showed the couple’s assets were worth between $303,000 and $1 million and they had liabilities between $560,000 and $1.2 million.\–With assistance from Naomi Nix, John Harney, Emma Kinery, Henry Goldman and Laura Litvan.To contact the reporter on this story: Justin Sink in WASHINGTON at jsink1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo, Max BerleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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