Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Raised to $50.00

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) had its price target increased by Evercore ISI from $48.00 to $50.00 in a report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. Evercore ISI currently has an outperform rating on the cell phone carrier’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on VZ. Barclays started coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered Verizon Communications from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $44.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, January 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.02.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $46.97 on Monday. Verizon Communications has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $47.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $198.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.33. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The company had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,504,150,000. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,470,788,000 after purchasing an additional 7,276,809 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 51.1% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,512,228 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $637,812,000 after purchasing an additional 4,905,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 21.5% during the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $915,552,000 after purchasing an additional 3,743,892 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and subscriber strength — Verizon posted a fourth‑quarter earnings and revenue beat and reported sizable wireless subscriber additions, which underpins near‑term revenue momentum and investor confidence. InsiderMonkey Q4/Subscriber Adds
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets — multiple firms have raised price targets or ratings (Citigroup to $50 buy, Evercore/Scotiabank, JPMorgan raised) supporting upside expectations and helping buying interest. Citigroup PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns and cost actions — management is executing cost savings, pursuing a $25B buyback program and recently increased the quarterly dividend, all of which bolster EPS and free‑cash‑flow outlook for 2026. Seeking Alpha: Momentum & Buyback
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media coverage parsing valuation — pieces from Zacks and others are discussing whether the Q4 beat and yield justify repositioning into VZ; useful background but not an immediate catalyst. Zacks Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/flow influence — some of today’s move reflects the S&P 500 Communications Index and sector flows rather than pure company‑specific news. Kalkine Media
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/reputational risk — Senator Maria Cantwell said Verizon (and AT&T) are blocking release of Salt Typhoon security assessment reports and requested CEOs testify before Congress, creating potential regulatory scrutiny and reputational risk. Reuters: Senator on Salt Typhoon
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/competitive escalation — Verizon filed a suit accusing T‑Mobile of false advertising over savings claims; this could intensify competitive spending on promotions and trigger legal costs or a public dispute. Reuters: Verizon sues T‑Mobile
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and margin concerns — an EVP disclosed a sizable share sale and analysts warn that heavy 5G/fiber investment, price‑lock dynamics and margin pressure could limit multiple expansion. SEC Form 4: Russo Sale

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.