AT&T vs. Verizon: Which Wireless Carrier Ruled the Quarter?

By Chris Neiger – Jan 1, 2015 at 10:17AM

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AT&T and Verizon are the top two carriers in the U.S., but Verizon continued to outpace its largest competitor this past quarter.

The third quarter of 2014 left AT&T (T 1.02%) and Verizon Communications (VZ 1.17%) relatively unchanged in their positions at the top of the U.S. wireless carrier space -- but that doesn't mean there wasn't a clear winner between the two.

While AT&T boosted postpaid net additions by 785,000, Verizon pulled in a whopping 1.5 million postpaid additions in the quarter. As it stands right now, Verizon dominates with about 100 million postpaid subscribers while AT&T trails with 75 million. This comes on the heels of a RootMetrics report showing Verizon has the best performing network overall.

If that weren't enough, Verizon delivered earnings per share of $0.89 while AT&T manged $0.58 EPS. With a stronger network, more subscribers, and a higher earnings per share, Verizon came out on top this past quarter. But AT&T's network is strong, its adding customers, and its churn rates are low -- which means Verizon can't just sit back and enjoy its No. 1 position.

Chris Neiger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Verizon Communications,. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.