# How Verizon Communications (VZ) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/vz
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on VZ alone. It places VZ (Verizon Communications Inc.) against 18 popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where VZ stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: VZ's full trading record, from October 1986 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** VZ has gone against the market, falling 1.0% over the past 6 months while the S&P 500 rose 9.1%. Its integrated telecommunication peers split over the past 6 months: IDT rose 61.9%, while CMCSA (Comcast) fell 22.6%.
- **Stock or market?:** VZ rose 4.0% over the past 3 months, 5.4 points ahead of the integrated telecommunications ETF IYZ (iShares U.S. Telecommunications ETF), which fell 1.4%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its integrated telecommunication peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: IDT rose 34.1%, while TMUS (T-Mobile US) fell 18.9%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** The last two calendar years both went the same way: VZ rose 8.9% in 2025, against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. It took about 2 years for VZ to win back the 41.2% it lost from December 2020 to October 2023. the S&P 500 fell 23.1% over those same dates.
- **Long term:** VZ turned $10,000 into $15,600 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500.
- **In a crash:** VZ fell less than the S&P 500 in five of seven sell-offs, but the 2022 bear market broke the pattern: it fell 33.2%, more than the S&P 500's 24.5%.
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, VZ has a correlation of 0.19 over 5 years, less closely than 88% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is a real diversifier. On the flip side, over 10 years VZ took more of the market's losses than of its gains: 44% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 60% of its losses in falling ones, with a beta of 0.36.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** CSCO (Cisco Systems), VOD (Vodafone Group Public) and IDT were ahead of VZ in most short and long periods.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** CHT (Chunghwa Telecom, integrated telecommunications) earned more than VZ with less volatility over the past 5 years: 7.7% a year at 13.3% volatility, against 2.7% a year at 22.9%.
  - **Whole market:** 665 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than VZ with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them VTI (Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF), VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF) and BRK-B (Berkshire Hathaway).

## How much would $10,000 in VZ have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in VZ over the past 29 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of VZ over the same span and VZ's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in VZ at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $47,395 by September 2026, less than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of VZ, and CSCO finished highest, at $206,586.

## VZ at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- VZ's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 57.3%, from October 1999 to July 2002. It took about nine years from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, VZ's best was 1997, when it returned 46.6%, and its worst was 2005, when it lost 22.2%. It lost money in ten of those years.
- VZ is 12.1% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Communication (Telecommunications Services)
- Trading since: October 17, 1986
- Market value: $185B
- Volatility (5 years): 22.9%; Sharpe ratio: 0.23
- Worst decline ever: −57.3%, from October 4, 1999 to July 23, 2002; back at its high by December 1, 2011

| Period | VZ total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −5.1% |
| 3 months | +4.0% |
| 6 months | −1.0% |
| year to date | +17.2% |
| 1 year | +16.4% |
| 3 years | +71.5% |
| 5 years | +14.4% |
| 10 years | +55.8% |

## VZ against the whole market

Where VZ ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does VZ rank among all stocks?

This section ranks VZ on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- VZ is among the steadier stocks: its price swings rank in the top 7% of the 2,893 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top is the calmest.

| Measure | VZ | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +16.4% | 1,357 of 3,287 (top 42%) |
| 3-year return | +71.5% | 1,228 of 3,017 (top 41%) |
| 5-year return | +14.4% | 1,535 of 2,893 (top 54%) |
| 10-year return | +55.8% | 1,557 of 2,202 (top 71%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 22.9% | 200 of 2,893 (top 7%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.23 | 1,758 of 2,893 (top 61%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −41.2% | 181 of 2,187 (top 9%) |

### What has beaten VZ on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 75 stocks and 590 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than VZ over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 18% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half VZ's swings, DXJ has the best return for its risk: 26.6% a year at 19.1% volatility, 17% less than VZ's 22.9%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.34 against 0.23 for VZ.
- None of VZ's popular alternatives made it, but CHT (integrated telecommunications) did: 7.7% a year at 13.3% volatility, 42% less than VZ's 22.9%.

### Is there a better investment than VZ?

The table below lists investments that beat VZ over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among VZ's popular alternatives, CSCO, VOD and IDT were ahead of VZ in most short and long periods.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CHT (integrated telecommunications) earned more than VZ with less volatility over the past 5 years: 7.7% a year at 13.3% volatility, against 2.7% a year at 22.9%.
- Across the whole market, 665 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than VZ with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them VTI, VOO and BRK-B.

The 15 strongest of 665 investments that beat VZ over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with VZ | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VZ: Verizon Communications Inc. (this page) |  | +2.7% | 22.9% | 0.23 | −41.2% | +55.8% |  |  |
| [BRK-B](https://easycompare.io/research/brk-b): Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Insurance | +13.4% | 17.1% | 0.82 | −29.6% | +274% | 0.31 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| CHT: Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. | Integrated Telecommunications | +7.7% | 13.3% | 0.63 | −23.8% | +101% | 0.20 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [JNJ](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj): Johnson & Johnson | Pharmaceuticals | +12.7% | 17.9% | 0.76 | −27.4% | +196% | 0.27 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | International Equity | +17.0% | 11.1% | 1.48 | −32.4% | +194% | 0.48 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [NVS](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs): Novartis AG | Pharmaceuticals | +17.1% | 20.7% | 0.87 | −26.8% | +226% | 0.39 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [VEA](https://easycompare.io/research/vea): Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF | Developed International Equity | +9.3% | 16.9% | 0.61 | −35.8% | +153% | 0.38 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [PG](https://easycompare.io/research/pg): The Procter & Gamble Company | Household & Personal Products | +5.1% | 18.3% | 0.37 | −23.8% | +145% | 0.37 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [SCHD](https://easycompare.io/research/schd): Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF | US Dividend Equity | +9.7% | 14.3% | 0.72 | −33.4% | +252% | 0.49 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [DFAC](https://easycompare.io/research/dfac): Dimensional - US Core Equity 2 ETF | US Total Market | +11.4% | 17.0% | 0.72 | −23.1% | — | 0.22 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [RSG](https://easycompare.io/research/rsg): Republic Services, Inc. | Environmental Services | +13.9% | 18.5% | 0.80 | −34.0% | +446% | 0.23 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [UL](https://easycompare.io/research/ul): Unilever PLC | Household & Personal Products | +5.5% | 21.5% | 0.36 | −30.1% | +89.8% | 0.31 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [DYNF](https://easycompare.io/research/dynf): iShares U.S. Equity Factor Rotation Active ETF | US Multifactor Equity | +14.7% | 17.5% | 0.87 | −34.7% | — | 0.15 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [DGRO](https://easycompare.io/research/dgro): iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | US Dividend Equity | +10.9% | 13.7% | 0.83 | −35.1% | +267% | 0.36 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [CL](https://easycompare.io/research/cl): Colgate-Palmolive Company | Household & Personal Products | +7.2% | 19.2% | 0.46 | −29.0% | +68.8% | 0.48 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [XLV](https://easycompare.io/research/xlv): State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF | Health Care Equity | +8.4% | 15.3% | 0.60 | −28.4% | +202% | 0.26 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## VZ against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against VZ, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do VZ's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- None of the 18 popular alternatives earned more than VZ over the past 5 years with smaller price swings, so every higher return on the map came with a bumpier ride.
- Nine of the 18 popular alternatives earned less than VZ over the past 5 years while swinging more, the weaker corner of the map.
- Over the past 5 years, VZ returned 2.7% a year, less than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (22.9% against 17.1%).

### Has VZ consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares VZ with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- Three of the 18 popular alternatives, IDT, CSCO and VOD, outperformed VZ in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- IDT and CSCO outperformed VZ in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- T earned more for the risk it took than VZ (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in its worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of VZ | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VZ: Verizon Communications Inc. (this page) | +16.4% | +71.5% | +14.4% | +55.8% |  |  | 0.23 |
| IDT: IDT Corporation | +74.9% | +196% | +78.8% | +429% | 5/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.49 |
| [CSCO](https://easycompare.io/research/csco): Cisco Systems, Inc. | +53.8% | +118% | +118% | +374% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.73 |
| [VOD](https://easycompare.io/research/vod): Vodafone Group Public Limited Company | +41.9% | +109% | +44.9% | +9.3% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.41 |
| [T](https://easycompare.io/research/t): AT&T Inc. | −5.9% | +77.2% | +59.7% | +60.7% | 1/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.50 |
| TDS: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. | +15.0% | +156% | +161% | +119% | 0/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.57 |
| ERIC: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) | +15.6% | +164% | +8.9% | +161% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.23 |
| [TMUS](https://easycompare.io/research/tmus): T-Mobile US, Inc. | −30.0% | +21.1% | +36.1% | +253% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.37 |
| [AMX](https://easycompare.io/research/amx): América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. | +5.0% | +48.3% | +50.5% | +149% | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.45 |
| [AMT](https://easycompare.io/research/amt): American Tower Corporation | −1.1% | +27.5% | −21.8% | +107% | 3/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.04 |
| SBAC: SBA Communications Corporation | −6.2% | +0.4% | −41.5% | +79.2% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | -0.20 |
| LUMN: Lumen Technologies, Inc. | −37.4% | +222% | −61.5% | −71.8% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.17 |
| CCI: Crown Castle Inc. | −13.7% | +10.7% | −40.6% | +35.4% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.23 |
| TU: TELUS Corporation | −38.9% | −34.4% | −48.2% | −8.4% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.55 |
| [CMCSA](https://easycompare.io/research/cmcsa): Comcast Corporation | −20.3% | −41.4% | −51.6% | −9.9% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.39 |
| RCI: Rogers Communications Inc. | −8.4% | −1.3% | −21.7% | +12.2% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.09 |
| BCE: BCE Inc. | −11.4% | −32.5% | −45.2% | −20.1% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.51 |
| SHEN: Shenandoah Telecommunications Company | −19.8% | −52.8% | −66.6% | −33.4% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.29 |
| CHTR: Charter Communications, Inc. | −56.3% | −74.4% | −85.0% | −57.4% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.71 |

### How did VZ do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 1997, along with where VZ ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- VZ finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 12 of its 29 full calendar years, and behind it in each of the last seven.
- Among its popular alternatives, CHTR came out ahead of VZ most often, in 11 of the 15 years both traded.
- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, VZ finished in the top quarter in four of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in four. In 2025, it ranked 10 of 19.

| Year | VZ | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +8.9% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +13.1% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +2.7% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −20.0% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | −7.5% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | −0.1% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +13.8% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | +11.3% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +4.0% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +20.7% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How VZ has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were VZ's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- In all four of VZ's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: VZ fell 41.2% from December 2020 to October 2023, while the S&P 500 rose 23.1%.
- The slowest recovery came after VZ fell 57.3% from October 1999 to July 2002; it did not regain that peak until December 2011, nine years later.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −57.3% | October 4, 1999 | July 23, 2002 | December 1, 2011 | −36.9% | dot-com bust |
| −41.2% | December 3, 2020 | October 13, 2023 | February 3, 2026 | +23.1% | 2022 bear market |
| −27.3% | January 2, 1990 | August 24, 1990 | December 4, 1990 | — |  |
| −24.9% | October 14, 1993 | April 6, 1994 | October 11, 1995 | −3.0% |  |
| −24.1% | February 12, 1996 | September 6, 1996 | February 11, 1997 | +0.4% |  |

### How did VZ do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far VZ, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- VZ fell less than the S&P 500 in seven of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the Covid crash, when VZ fell 13.6% and the S&P 500 fell 33.7%.
- None of its popular alternatives fell less than VZ in most of the crashes they both traded through.

| Crash | Dates | VZ fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −55.2% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −43.9% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | 0.0% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −9.9% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −10.5% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −7.4% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −12.5% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −13.6% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −33.2% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −2.6% | −3.4% |

### How closely does VZ move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- Over the past 10 years, VZ captured 44% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 60% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.36. Its share of the market's losses was larger than its share of the gains.
- IDT took just 34% of the S&P 500's losses, against 60% for VZ, while still keeping 74% of its gains.
- Seven of the 18 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than VZ's 0.74, led by IDT, TMUS and CSCO.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VZ: Verizon Communications Inc. (this page) | 44.0% | 60.0% | 0.36 |
| IDT: IDT Corporation | 74.0% | 34.0% | 0.90 |
| [CSCO](https://easycompare.io/research/csco): Cisco Systems, Inc. | 101% | 96.0% | 0.97 |
| [VOD](https://easycompare.io/research/vod): Vodafone Group Public Limited Company | 52.0% | 100% | 0.69 |
| [T](https://easycompare.io/research/t): AT&T Inc. | 47.0% | 62.0% | 0.50 |
| TDS: Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. | 50.0% | 47.0% | 0.70 |
| ERIC: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) | 73.0% | 108% | 0.71 |
| [TMUS](https://easycompare.io/research/tmus): T-Mobile US, Inc. | 63.0% | 37.0% | 0.46 |
| [AMX](https://easycompare.io/research/amx): América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. | 58.0% | 55.0% | 0.69 |
| [AMT](https://easycompare.io/research/amt): American Tower Corporation | 61.0% | 79.0% | 0.60 |
| SBAC: SBA Communications Corporation | 55.0% | 79.0% | 0.64 |
| LUMN: Lumen Technologies, Inc. | 99.0% | 255% | 1.44 |
| CCI: Crown Castle Inc. | 54.0% | 101% | 0.70 |
| TU: TELUS Corporation | 42.0% | 93.0% | 0.67 |
| [CMCSA](https://easycompare.io/research/cmcsa): Comcast Corporation | 65.0% | 139% | 0.87 |
| RCI: Rogers Communications Inc. | 53.0% | 104% | 0.59 |
| BCE: BCE Inc. | 43.0% | 100% | 0.50 |
| SHEN: Shenandoah Telecommunications Company | 34.0% | 93.0% | 0.55 |
| CHTR: Charter Communications, Inc. | 41.0% | 141% | 0.88 |

### What diversifies VZ?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in VZ into SPMO would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+3.1% for VZ alone, +7.3% for the mix).
- MCK made money in eight of the ten calendar years in which VZ lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of VZ over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.48 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with VZ | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in VZ's 10 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.48 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 2 of 10 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.24 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 4 of 10 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.42 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 3 of 10 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | -0.05 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 5 of 10 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.26 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 3 of 10 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.47 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 3 of 10 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.02 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 2 of 10 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.37 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 5 of 10 |

## Common questions

### What was VZ's worst drawdown?

VZ's deepest decline since it began trading in 1986 was 57.3%, from October 1999 to July 2002. It took about nine years from the low to climb back to its old high.

### What were VZ's best and worst years?

Over 29 full calendar years, VZ's best year was 1997, when it returned 46.6%. Its worst was 2005, with a return of -22.2%.

### Is there a better investment than VZ?

Among VZ's popular alternatives, CSCO, VOD and IDT were ahead of VZ in most short and long periods. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, CHT (integrated telecommunications) earned more than VZ with less volatility over the past 5 years: 7.7% a year at 13.3% volatility, against 2.7% a year at 22.9%.

### Is VZ more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. VZ's volatility over the past 5 years was 22.9%, 1.3 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, VZ's return lands within 22.9% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is VZ's Sharpe ratio?

VZ's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.23, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so VZ earned less for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is VZ with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, VZ's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.19 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They are only loosely linked, which makes it a real diversifier next to an index fund. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against VZ instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a VZ holding.

### What are the best alternatives to VZ?

Of the 18 popular alternatives we compared, three outperformed VZ in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: IDT, CSCO and VOD.

### Did VZ outperform the S&P 500?

VZ finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 12 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +8.9%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did VZ do in stock market crashes?

VZ fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in seven of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in three. The clearest case was the Covid crash, when VZ fell 13.6% and the S&P 500 fell 33.7%.

### What diversifies VZ?

These had a low correlation with VZ over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.48), DXJ (correlation 0.24) and EMLP (correlation 0.42); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.05), CLS (correlation -0.19) and FIX (correlation -0.04). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

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- [Vodafone Group Public (VOD) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vod)
- [AT&T (T) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/t)
- [T-Mobile US (TMUS) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/tmus)
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- [American Tower (AMT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amt)
- [Comcast (CMCSA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/cmcsa)
- [Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/schd)
- [NVIDIA (NVDA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda)
- [Apple (AAPL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl)
- [Alphabet (GOOG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/goog)
- [Microsoft (MSFT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/msft)

## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/vz
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against VZ live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=VZ&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research