Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Trading Up 1.2% – Time to Buy?
by Tristan Rich · The Markets DailyVerizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) traded up 1.2% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $49.15 and last traded at $48.6220. 26,503,518 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 28% from the average session volume of 36,722,520 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.05.
Key Verizon Communications News
Here are the key news stories impacting Verizon Communications this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts note strength in Verizon’s Consumer segment — healthy postpaid phone subscriber momentum is driving revenue and supports near‑term growth expectations. Verizon Rides on Strength in Consumer Segment: Will it Sustain?
- Positive Sentiment: Brokerages have an average rating of “Moderate Buy” on VZ, which can support demand from institutional investors. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages
- Positive Sentiment: Verizon will speak at the Barclays Communications & Content Symposium on Feb. 24 — a forum where management can reinforce strategy, guidance and capital‑allocation plans to sell‑side investors. Verizon to speak at Barclays Communications and Content Symposium on February 24
- Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces highlight Verizon as a dividend stalwart and compare it to peers after a recent dividend increase — supportive for income investors but mixed for growth investors. Verizon vs Johnson & Johnson: Which Dividend Hike Winner Is the Better Buy?
- Positive Sentiment: Macro pieces on dividend stocks highlight Verizon among income names benefiting portfolio stability as tech lags — this can attract yield‑seeking flows. Retirees Are Winning Big in 2026: 3 Popular Dividend Stocks Are Soaring
- Negative Sentiment: TipRanks flags uncertainty around Verizon’s $55 billion capital‑return plan — flexibility vs. risk trade‑offs for buybacks and dividends may raise investor concern about execution and timing. Uncertainty Clouds Verizon’s $55 Billion Capital Return Plan
- Negative Sentiment: MarketWatch notes VZ underperformed peers on Wednesday, a sign investors are watching relative operational momentum and sector flows. Verizon Communications Inc. stock underperforms Wednesday when compared to competitors
- Negative Sentiment: Reports about the Consumer CEO exit and an interim leadership shift introduce short‑term execution and transformation questions that investors may view as a governance/headcount risk. Did Verizon’s Consumer CEO Exit and Interim Shift Just Reframe Its Transformation Story (VZ)?
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
VZ has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.25 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.02.
Read Our Latest Research Report on Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Price Performance
The stock has a market capitalization of $205.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.33. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.
Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The business had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.
Verizon Communications Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 68.15%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications
A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VZ. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $15,453,058,000 after buying an additional 5,497,598 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,080,810,000 after acquiring an additional 7,461,335 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,747,930,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851,715 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,168,080,000 after purchasing an additional 867,694 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,357,158,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Verizon Communications Company Profile
Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE: VZ) is a major U.S.-based telecommunications company that provides a broad range of communications and information services. Its operations span consumer and business markets, with core offerings that include wireless voice and data services, fixed-line broadband and fiber-optic services, and enterprise networking solutions. Verizon is headquartered in New York City and operates a nationwide wireless network that supports consumer subscribers as well as business and government customers.
The company’s consumer products include mobile phone plans, unlimited data services, and Fios, its branded fiber-optic internet, television and voice service for homes and small businesses.