Verizon Beats on Revenue, Microsoft Slides, Block Surges

On this edition of Stock Movers:

- Verizon (VZ) posted second-quarter revenue that surpassed analysts’ estimates and raised its profit outlook, buoyed by wireless price increases and recent tax legislation. Operating revenue was $34.5 billion, up 5.2% from a year earlier, The New York-based carrier said in a statement. Wall Street had been expecting $33.7 billion, on average. Wireless service revenue, which excludes device purchases and upgrades, was $20.9 billion, in line with analysts’ projections. The strong performance, as well as “favorable tax reform,” led Verizon to boost some full-year guidance metrics, including adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization and free cash flow. The shares rose as much as 4.7% Monday in New York, the most since January 2024. They are up 6.2% this year.

- Microsoft (MFST) shares slid after it warned that hackers are actively targeting customers of its document management software SharePoint, with security researchers flagging the risk of potentially widespread breaches around the world. Vulnerabilities in the software have allowed hackers to access file systems and execute code, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned on Sunday. While Microsoft said over the weekend that it had released a new patch for customers to apply to their SharePoint servers “to mitigate active attacks targeting on-premises servers,” the company was still working to roll out others to address ongoing security flaws.

- Block (XYZ) shares surged on the new it will join the S&P 500. Jack Dorsey's fintech firm will replace Hess in the benchmark. The changes will go into effect prior to the start of trading on July 23, according to a press release from S&P Dow Jones Indices Friday. Block, formerly known as Square, has evolved from a payments processor into a broader fintech player, offering peer-to-peer transfers, merchant services, and increasingly, consumer lending. Earlier this year, Block’s industrial bank subsidiary Square Financial Services Inc. received approval from the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to begin offering consumer loans directly through the Cash App Borrow product. The company is also integrating Bitcoin payment capabilities into its Square terminals, reflecting Dorsey’s long-standing advocacy for Bitcoin. He remains an influential voice in the digital-asset world, recently sharing open-source coding projects on X.

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