Analysts Set Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Price Target at $49.02

Posted by Scott Moore on Feb 24th, 2026

Verizon Communications logo Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $49.0156.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VZ. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.25 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd.

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Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $49.63 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $209.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.25, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.33. 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 has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $50.48. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $42.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.18.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.Verizon Communications’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Verizon Communications will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.88%.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $14,761,000 after purchasing an additional 13,787 shares during the last quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 2,916.8% in the second quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 347,716 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $15,046,000 after purchasing an additional 336,190 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 14.0% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $16,665,000 after purchasing an additional 46,699 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its position in Verizon Communications by 18.4% during the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $6,196,000 after buying an additional 21,915 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 378.7% during the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 93,732 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,120,000 after buying an additional 74,151 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: Daiwa upgraded VZ to Buy and raised its price target to $58 (from $48), citing clear momentum from Verizon’s Q4 results and subscriber growth; that lift in analyst sentiment supports upside for the shares. Daiwa Upgrades Verizon (VZ) as Subscriber Growth Signals Strong Momentum
Positive Sentiment: Technical indicator: VZ recently cleared a “golden cross” (50‑day SMA above 200‑day SMA), which often attracts momentum and technical traders and can increase buying interest. Verizon Communications (VZ) Now Trades Above Golden Cross: Time to Buy?
Positive Sentiment: Price action: the stock reached a 52‑week high (~$50.25 in recent headlines), reinforcing the bullish narrative and likely drawing fresh attention from momentum and dividend-seeking investors. Verizon Communications stock hits 52-week high at 50.25 USD
Neutral Sentiment: Debt issuance: Verizon completed a sale of €2.25 billion of junior subordinated notes (and related sterling issuance) — this raises liquidity but also adds subordinated debt; impact depends on use of proceeds and investor view on leverage. Verizon Issues Euro and Sterling Junior Subordinated Notes
Neutral Sentiment: Dividend/defensive demand: VZ continues to appear on lists of attractive dividend or low‑volatility names, which supports interest from income investors but is unlikely to produce large near‑term price moves by itself. My 5 Favorite Dividend Stocks to Buy Right Now
Negative Sentiment: Macro/headwinds: broader market weakness tied to tariff news and geopolitical headlines is pressuring indexes; such market-wide pullbacks can cap gains in telecom stocks despite company‑specific positives. Stock Market Today: Dow Dives As EU Makes Trump Tariff Move; Novo Plunges On This (Live Coverage)

Verizon Communications Company Profile

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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.