Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Up 1.7% – Time to Buy?

24 Sep 2026, 17:21 by Scott Moore · The Cerbat Gem

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report)’s stock price was up 1.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $47.77 and last traded at $47.2930. Approximately 20,805,695 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 24% from the average daily volume of 27,364,420 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.52.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

Here are the key news stories impacting Verizon Communications this week:

Positive Sentiment: Verizon expanded its premium product lineup with Motorola foldable smartphones and wearables. Discounts for Simplicity customers and trade-in savings of up to $1,100 could support device sales, customer retention and wireless-plan upgrades. Verizon expands premium lineup with new Motorola foldable phones and wearables
Positive Sentiment: An analyst maintained a Buy view and set a $57 price target, citing lower churn, fiber and broadband expansion, the Frontier transaction and AI Connect as potential earnings drivers. The analyst also viewed VZ as inexpensive relative to the telecom sector. Verizon: Fiber, Lower Churn, And AI Connect Support My Buy Rating
Positive Sentiment: Verizon launched a $70 million nationwide AI-skills initiative with partners including IBM, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and OpenAI. The program is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings, but it could strengthen Verizon’s technology positioning and brand. Verizon to invest $70 million in AI training effort
Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is preparing generators, mobile assets and response teams for Tropical Storm Nolo in Hawaii after completing Hurricane Lowell recovery work. The effort protects network reliability, although storm-related costs and potential outages remain risks. Verizon prepares network for Tropical Storm Nolo
Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares through a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing his direct ownership by about 1%. The small, scheduled transaction is generally a limited signal for investors. Verizon executive stock sale filing
Negative Sentiment: Rising Treasury yields are reducing the relative appeal of high-yield telecom stocks such as Verizon and could increase the company’s borrowing costs. Three dividend stocks that can still work despite 5% 10-year yield
Negative Sentiment: Verizon is seeking approval to discontinue legacy landline service in nine states. Although the move could lower costs, regulatory scrutiny and customer disruption may weigh on sentiment. Verizon plans to discontinue a phone service

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Moffett Nathanson lowered their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Barclays increased their target price on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.97.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $48.07 and a 200 day moving average of $47.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%.The firm’s revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.22 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.65, for a total transaction of $52,415.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 104,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,973,039.90. The trade was a 1.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,500 shares of company stock valued at $271,557. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VZ. Robinswood Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Gill Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 74.6% in the 2nd quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 620 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 173.0% in the fourth quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 37.4% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 841 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Verizon Communications

(Get Free Report)

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and related technology services. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, 5G connectivity, fixed wireless access, fiber-optic internet through Verizon Fios, home services, and connected-device solutions.

Through Verizon Business, the company serves enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations with communications networks, managed connectivity, cybersecurity, cloud and edge-computing services, unified communications, and Internet of Things solutions.