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The Dow Jones Industrial Average put on some much needed weight last week. The blue-chip index closed the week up 2.11% for the first quarter of 2016, a sharp increase from its anemic 0.5% increase at the end of the prior week. And as it has done for most of the year, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) is leading the Dow 30 higher, up by 16.85% year to date, a gain of nearly 1% in just the past week.

Verizon has several financial and business model advantages over most large companies. The argument is bolstered by the performance of its only major, direct rival, AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), the shares of which have risen 13.5% since the start of the year to $39.05. The two companies are often described as mirror images of one another. Wall Street continues to warm to both.

Verizon had revenue of $131.6 billion last year, making it one of the largest companies in America. The figure was higher by 3.6% year over year. Net income for 2015 was $18.4 billion, up 54%.

When the company reports first-quarter results on April 21, analysts expect earnings per share to come to $1.06 on revenues of $32.64 billion. In the first quarter of 2015, Verizon posted earnings of $1.02 per share and $31.98 billion in revenue.

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