You are looking at two big bell companies that will continue to thrive through the recession.  Both give a dividend of 6+% and both have EPS.  I consider them to be Warren Buffet-like stocks.  Looking at the results, they have both increased the EPS as the years have progressed.  AT&T has increased net income year-after-year.  Even though their stock prices have barely moved for the past 5 years their dividend has increased and they continue to be profitable.

I consider them both to be safe bets.  Why hold a bunch of cash in the bank when you can be getting a safe 6% dividend?  You also help stimulate the economy 😉

Short-term things to consider: AT&T has continued to get deals with Apple.  They will be the exclusive provider of 3G for the iPad.  This is a big win as the iPad is a GSM made table.  In the 3rd quarter 2010, Verizon and other phone networks should be getting the iPhone.  This is not for sure as their has been a good relationship of AT&T and Apple.

AT&T’s 10 Year Summary

Verizon’s 10 Year Summary