Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Trading 1.5% Higher – Time to Buy?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)’s share price was up 1.5% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $49.60 and last traded at $49.2820. 17,779,753 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 37% from the average daily volume of 28,425,682 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.54.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s roughly 6% dividend yield and 20 consecutive years of dividend increases continue to appeal to income-focused investors. Analysts generally view the payout as sustainable, although future growth remains a consideration. Verizon’s Dividend Looks Secure But Investors Should Keep an Eye on Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Following its Frontier acquisition, Verizon is leaning further into fiber broadband. The strategy could expand its fixed-line customer base, improve network economics and provide a longer-term growth opportunity beyond wireless service. Verizon Communications Leans Into Fiber After the Frontier Close
• Neutral Sentiment: Post-earnings evaluations remain mixed. Verizon exceeded second-quarter adjusted EPS expectations, but revenue declined year over year and missed consensus estimates. Analysts are weighing the dependable dividend and 2026 earnings outlook against muted operating growth. Verizon Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q2 Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Because the transaction was small relative to his remaining holdings and scheduled in advance, it is unlikely to materially change the investment outlook. SEC Insider Trading Filing
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Verizon’s final appeal over a $47 million FCC fine related to customer location data, ending the company’s effort to recover the payment. The decision reinforces regulatory and reputational risks surrounding customer-data practices. Supreme Court Rejects Verizon Bid to Recover FCC Fine
• Negative Sentiment: With 30-year Treasury yields above 5%, Verizon’s high-yield dividend faces tougher competition from government bonds, potentially limiting demand for the shares and keeping pressure on valuation.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VZ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.84.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $204.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.25.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The business had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.22 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total transaction of $53,548.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 109,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,348,276.88. This represents a 0.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $15,453,058,000 after buying an additional 5,497,598 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,080,810,000 after purchasing an additional 7,461,335 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 5,851,715 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,168,080,000 after purchasing an additional 867,694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 15.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 62,101,021 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $3,117,471,000 after acquiring an additional 8,289,877 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.