AT&T says its earnings rose 26 percent in the second quarter, helped by strong results in its wireless business and an one-time gain on a stock sale.

The country's largest telecommunications provider said Thursday that its net income was $4.02 billion, or 68 cents per share, in the April-June period.

Excluding a gain from the sale of stock in an overseas company, earnings would have been 61 cents per share. That beats analysts' average forecast of 57 cents per share.

It says revenue was $30.8 billion versus $30.7 billion a year ago and slightly below analyst expectations at $30.9 billion.

AT&T says it once again activated a record number of iPhones: 3.2 million.

Its shares rose 19 cents to $25.11 in pre-market trading.