Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Down 1.4% After Insider Selling

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) shares dropped 1.4% on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $48.82 and last traded at $49.6980. 22,464,018 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 19% from the average session volume of 27,574,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.41.

Specifically, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.98, for a total value of $54,978.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 106,566 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,326,168.68. This represents a 1.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on VZ shares. BNP Paribas Exane cut their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Moffett Nathanson lowered their price objective on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.97.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon signed a multi-year agreement with Corning to secure more than 80 million miles of high-density optical fiber from 2027 through 2032. The supply will support residential broadband expansion, long-haul network routes, and connectivity for AI data centers. Reuters fiber agreement article
• Positive Sentiment: The fiber commitment could help Verizon expand broadband passings toward its 40 million-to-50 million target following the Frontier acquisition, improve wireless-and-home-internet bundling, and develop higher-margin enterprise services such as data-center interconnect and managed wavelengths. Verizon stock information
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, payable November 2 to shareholders of record October 9. The stable payout reinforces the stock’s appeal to income-focused investors, although it does not represent an increase. Verizon dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presentations at Citi’s Global TMT Conference and Goldman Sachs’ Communacopia + Technology Conference were published, but the supplied reports do not identify new guidance or other specific developments likely to materially change valuation. Citi conference transcript
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares for approximately $55,000. The transaction occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and represented only 1.02% of his direct holdings, making it a limited bearish signal. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: The fiber agreement’s financial benefits are several years away, while the required network investment and Verizon’s already elevated valuation near its 52-week high may encourage profit-taking. Broader rotation away from defensive telecom stocks has also weighed on sentiment.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 1.4%

The firm has a market capitalization of $206.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.94, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $46.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.50.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%.Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Gill Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 74.6% during the 2nd quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 620 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Robinswood Financial LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Lam Group Inc. bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the fourth quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the period. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and related technology services. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, 5G connectivity, fixed wireless access, fiber-optic internet through Verizon Fios, home services, and connected-device solutions.

Through Verizon Business, the company serves enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations with communications networks, managed connectivity, cybersecurity, cloud and edge-computing services, unified communications, and Internet of Things solutions.