Barron's On: AT&T Vs. Verizon

• This weekend's Barron's cover story offers a head-to-head matchup of the leading U.S. telecoms.
• See which of the two Barron's suggests has the edge now.
• And find out who called the fight for 5G leadership "nothing short of a religious war."

This weekend's Barron's cover story, "AT&T vs. Verizon: Our Call" by Nicholas Jasinski, suggests that after years spent running their businesses in virtual lockstep, America's largest phone companies are "furiously heading in opposite directions."

AT&T Inc. T and Verizon Communications Inc. VZ may be reacting to the same external forces, but they are responding in different ways. Recent share price moves suggest that investors clearly have a preference, but see how Barron's believes they match up against each other in terms of annual results, dividends, attempts to diversify and more. See what each one has gobbled up in its respective and costly acquisition spree, and which one now is the most indebted company in the world.

The article also takes a look at who has the reins at each of these longtime rivals. Find out which company declined to talk with Barron's about its strategy, and who called the fight for 5G leadership "nothing short of a religious war."

"We believe we are standing up a very unique situation that not only creates a unique experience for customers, but also creates a company with a very unique financial profile," says one chief executive. "All these businesses over the next couple of years are going to be very profitable, generating a lot of cash flow and allowing us to reinvest in a virtuous cycle to keep developing these capabilities."

So which one does Barron's think investors should buy now?

See Also: Barron's Picks And Pans: AT&T, DowDuPont, Wells Fargo And More

Some other stories featured in this weekend's Barron's that are also worth a look:

• How the Dow Spinoff Could Unlock Value and Offer a Rich Dividend
• Animal-Health Is Entering a New Stage. How Investors Can Play It.