Canadian Halal Investor.

NYSE Shariah screener · October 2026

Is Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) Halal?

FAIL

Verizon Communications Inc. · NYSE: VZ · Telecom

The short answer

No — Verizon (VZ) fails this Shariah stock screen at the debt gate. Its Q2 2026 10-Q (filed July 31, 2026) shows total debt of $165,231M — debt maturing within one year $21,783M plus long-term debt $143,448M — which is about 86.70% of its ~$190.58B market cap (4,154,775,202 shares × $45.87, the September 30, 2026 NYSE close), far above the ~33% ceiling. The other gates pass: the business is wireless/wireline telecom (Consumer ~77% and Business ~21% of 2025 revenue; no segment in a prohibited category), and interest income of $329M is about 0.24% of FY2025 revenue ($138,191M), below the 5% ceiling. Zoya and Musaffa also flag VZ as not halal, both citing the debt load. This is a factual screen, not a religious ruling — consult a qualified scholar for personal rulings.

Gate 1 — Business activity: PASS

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York, describes itself in its FY2025 10-K as one of the world's leading providers of communications, technology, information and streaming products and services to consumers, businesses and government entities. It reports two segments: Verizon Consumer Group — consumer wireless services (Verizon, TracFone brands) and wireline services (100% fiber-optic Fios network, fixed wireless access broadband); ~116 million wireless retail connections and ~11 million broadband connections at December 31, 2025; $106.8B of 2025 revenue (~77%) — and Verizon Business Group — wireless/wireline services, IoT connectivity, corporate networking, security and managed network services for businesses, public sector customers and carriers ($29.1B of 2025 revenue, ~21%). The Frontier Communications acquisition closed in January 2026 (wireline fiber, same business). Business-screen implication (factual): no segment operates in a prohibited category (no alcohol, gambling, weapons/defense, pork, adult content, or conventional finance as a business line). Gate 1 passes. Facts only.

Gate 2 — Debt and cash: FAIL

Per Verizon's Q2 2026 10-Q (filed July 31, 2026; SEC CIK 732712), total interest-bearing debt was $165,231M — debt maturing within one year $21,783M + long-term debt $143,448M. Against a market cap of about $190.58B (4,154,775,202 shares outstanding per the 10-Q cover × $45.87, the September 30, 2026 NYSE close), debt ÷ market cap is about 86.70% — far above the ~33% ceiling. Cash and cash equivalents of $1,752M are about 0.92% of market cap. The debt gate fails; the screen fails here. Facts only.

Gate 3 — Non-compliant income: PASS

Verizon's FY2025 10-K (filed February 17, 2026) reports interest income of $329M in its 'Other Income (Expense), Net' table (dollars in millions, years ended December 31, 2025), against FY2025 total operating revenue of $138,191M — about 0.24% of revenue, below the 5% non-compliant income ceiling. The income gate passes; the screen fails at Gate 2 on debt. Facts only.

Key figures used

Frequently asked questions

What does Verizon do?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York, New York, describes itself in its FY2025 10-K as one of the world's leading providers of communications, technology, information and streaming products and services to consumers, businesses and government entities. It reports two segments: Verizon Consumer Group — consumer wireless (Verizon, TracFone brands) and wireline services (Fios fiber, fixed wireless access broadband, ~116 million wireless retail connections and ~11 million broadband connections at Dec 31, 2025; $106.8B of 2025 revenue, ~77%) — and Verizon Business Group — wireless and wireline services, IoT connectivity, corporate networking, security and managed network services to businesses, public sector customers and carriers ($29.1B of 2025 revenue, ~21%). It closed the Frontier Communications acquisition in January 2026.

Why does Verizon fail this Shariah stock screen?

Verizon fails at the second gate — the interest-bearing debt gate. Per its Q2 2026 10-Q (filed July 31, 2026; SEC CIK 732712), total debt was $165,231M (debt maturing within one year $21,783M + long-term debt $143,448M). Against a market cap of about $190.58B (4,154,775,202 shares × $45.87, September 30, 2026 close), debt ÷ market cap is about 86.70% — far above the ~33% ceiling. The business-activity gate passes (wireless/wireline telecom, no segment in a prohibited category) and the non-compliant income gate passes (interest income $329M ≈ 0.24% of FY2025 revenue, below the 5% ceiling). This is a debt-screen failure, not a business or income failure — and a factual screen, not a religious ruling; consult a qualified scholar for personal rulings.

What is Verizon's interest-bearing debt ratio?

Per Verizon's Q2 2026 10-Q (filed July 31, 2026; SEC CIK 732712), total interest-bearing debt was $165,231M — debt maturing within one year $21,783M + long-term debt $143,448M. Against a market cap of about $190.58B (4,154,775,202 shares outstanding × $45.87, the September 30, 2026 NYSE close), debt ÷ market cap is about 86.70% — far above the ~33% ceiling, so the debt gate fails. Cash and cash equivalents of $1,752M are about 0.92% of market cap. Facts only.

What is Verizon's non-compliant income ratio?

Verizon's FY2025 10-K (filed February 17, 2026) reports interest income of $329M in its 'Other Income (Expense), Net' table (dollars in millions, years ended December 31, 2025), against FY2025 total operating revenue of $138,191M — about 0.24% of revenue, below the 5% non-compliant income ceiling. The income gate passes; the screen fails at Gate 2 on debt. Facts only.

Do Zoya, Musaffa, or ShariaPortfolio cover Verizon?

Zoya covers VZ and flags it not Shariah-compliant as of September 2026 (zoya.finance/stocks/vz); note its page's FAQ template text is internally contradictory on one line (simultaneously saying 'not Shariah-compliant and therefore considered halal' and 'not considered halal'), but the headline assessment is consistently not compliant. Musaffa covers VZ and classifies it 'NOT HALAL' as of September 2026, with its Academy page stating Verizon is flagged not halal due to a debt-to-market-cap ratio exceeding AAOIFI limits. ShariaPortfolio: no VZ stock-screen page found in search. All honestly reported as retrieved or absent — nothing invented. This page applies the screen directly from Verizon's own filings.

Sources

Screened 2026-10-01 from published company figures and market data. Figures change; this page is educational, not financial advice and not a religious ruling.

Screened with our two-gate Shariah screening methodology (business-activity gate, then AAOIFI-style financial ratios).