Total Operating Expenses

Operating Expenses

AT&T Total Operating Expenses increased by 12.6% to $27.68B in Q4 2025 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 2.6%, from $26.97B to $27.68B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Total Operating Expenses shows a downward trend with a -8.6% CAGR. This is a positive signal — lower values indicate better performance for this metric.

Analysis

StatementIncome Statement
SectionOperating Expenses
CategoryEfficiency
SignalLower is better
VolatilityStable
First reportedQ1 2007
Last reportedQ4 2025

How to read this metric

Rising expenses without a corresponding rise in revenue can indicate operational bloat or aggressive expansion efforts.

Detailed definition

The sum of all costs required to run the business that are not directly tied to production, including R&D and SG&A. It r...

Peer comparison

Investors compare this to revenue to assess the 'operating leverage' of a business model.

Metric ID: is_total_operating_expenses

Historical Data

19 periods
 Q2 '21Q3 '21Q4 '21Q1 '22Q2 '22Q3 '22Q4 '22Q1 '23Q2 '23Q3 '23Q4 '23Q1 '24Q2 '24Q3 '24Q4 '24Q1 '25Q2 '25Q3 '25Q4 '25
Value$40.78B$32.81B$35.65B$32.46B$24.69B$24.03B$44.15B$24.14B$23.51B$24.57B$26.75B$24.18B$24.04B$28.10B$26.97B$24.87B$24.35B$24.59B$27.68B
QoQ Change-19.5%+8.6%-8.9%-24.0%-2.7%+83.7%-45.3%-2.6%+4.5%+8.9%-9.6%-0.6%+16.9%-4.0%-7.8%-2.1%+1.0%+12.6%
YoY Change-39.5%-26.8%+23.8%-25.6%-4.8%+2.2%-39.4%+0.2%+2.2%+14.4%+0.8%+2.9%+1.3%-12.5%+2.6%
Range$23.51B$44.15B
CAGR-8.2%
Avg YoY Growth-6.5%
Median YoY Growth+0.8%
Current Streak2 quarters growth

Frequently Asked Questions

What is AT&T's total operating expenses?
AT&T (T) reported total operating expenses of $27.68B in Q4 2025.
How has AT&T's total operating expenses changed year-over-year?
AT&T's total operating expenses increased by 2.6% year-over-year, from $26.97B to $27.68B.
What is the long-term trend for AT&T's total operating expenses?
Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), AT&T's total operating expenses has grown at a -8.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $145.52B to $101.49B.
What does total operating expenses mean?
The total cost of running the day-to-day business, excluding the direct cost of making products.

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