Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Shares Up 1.8% – What’s Next?

Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) traded up 1.8% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $51.10 and last traded at $50.86. 30,892,541 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 11% from the average session volume of 34,778,598 shares. The stock had previously closed at $49.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Scotiabank upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.25 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.02.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $215.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.61, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.31. 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $43.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.51.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 69.88%.

Insider Activity

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 16,704 shares during the last quarter. United Bank grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 11.5% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 205.0% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,095 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 13.2% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 4,289 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $186,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corps Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.2% during the second quarter. Corps Capital Advisors LLC now owns 14,667 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $635,000 after purchasing an additional 587 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

About Verizon Communications

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.