Wireless focus pays off for Verizon…

Article Excerpt

VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC. $29 (New York symbol VZ, Conservative Growth Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 2.8 billion; Market cap: $81.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.8; Dividend yield: 6.6%; WSSF Rating: Average) owns 55% of Verizon Wireless, which is the largest wireless provider in the U.S.; U.K.-based Vodafone plc owns the other 45%. This business has 92.1 million customers in 50 states, and accounts for 60% of Verizon’s revenue. The remaining 40% comes from its wireline division, which sells local and long-distance telephone service to over 27 million customers in 28 states. In the past few years, Verizon has shifted its focus toward its wireless and high-speed Internet businesses. As part of this plan, it has spun off (or handed out shares of) many of its less-profitable operations. For example, it recently spun off some of its traditional phone operations to Frontier Communications. In return, Verizon shareholders received 0.24 shares of Frontier for each Verizon share they held. They now own 68% of Frontier…