Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Target Lowered at Daiwa Securities Group

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at Daiwa Securities Group from $55.00 to $52.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the cell phone carrier’s stock. Daiwa Securities Group‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 18.85% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Verizon Communications from $52.00 to $50.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Moffett Nathanson decreased their price target on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.89.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock traded up $0.65 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $43.75. 9,446,300 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 27,369,229. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $47.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. Verizon Communications has a 12-month low of $38.68 and a 12-month high of $51.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $181.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 26th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.77 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.21 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Verizon Communications will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.48, for a total value of $48,928.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 99,966 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,446,487.68. This represents a 1.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 9,900 shares of company stock worth $469,073 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 15.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 8,289,877 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 20.8% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 38,164,982 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,915,882,000 after purchasing an additional 6,580,820 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 14.1% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 41,173,226 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,743,274,000 after buying an additional 5,075,794 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the second quarter worth about $184,260,000. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the second quarter worth about $132,893,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong subscriber growth and cash generation support the investment case. Verizon added 406,000 postpaid phone subscribers—its best third-quarter result in five years—and 314,000 broadband customers. Third-quarter free cash flow reached $7.8 billion, while broadband revenue hit a record. Verizon: This 6% Telecom Yield Is Still On Sale
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon beat earnings expectations and raised its outlook. Adjusted third-quarter EPS was $1.31 versus the $1.27 consensus, and management increased its full-year 2026 expectations for adjusted EPS, postpaid phone additions and free cash flow. The company also signed an agreement worth more than $2 billion with Amazon Web Services to support AI infrastructure and data-center connectivity. Verizon Raises 2026 Outlook After Strong Postpaid Subscriber Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Some investors view the valuation and dividend as attractive. Commentary highlighted Verizon’s strong cash flow, dividend support and low forward earnings multiple, which could provide downside protection if the company maintains its operational momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed. TD Cowen maintained a “buy” rating while reducing its price target to $55. Morgan Stanley and Barclays also lowered their targets and retained “equal weight” ratings, reflecting uncertainty about Verizon’s growth rate. Verizon Analysts Cut Their Forecasts Following Q3 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations, overshadowing the earnings beat. Third-quarter revenue rose 1.5% year over year to $34.31 billion, below the $34.77 billion consensus. Investors appear more focused on Verizon’s limited top-line growth and slower phone upgrades than on improved margins and subscriber additions. Verizon Analysts Cut Their Forecasts Following Q3 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: SpaceX and Starlink are emerging competitive concerns. Verizon’s CEO said satellite partnerships could complement its network but rejected allowing SpaceX to use Verizon’s infrastructure to compete directly for wireless customers. Although management believes SpaceX may be years away from becoming a major rival, the possibility adds pressure to the outlook. Verizon CEO Open to Working With Elon Musk’s Starlink

Verizon Communications Company Profile

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and digital connectivity services. Through its consumer business, Verizon offers mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and other connected devices, home internet, fixed wireless access, and fiber-optic broadband services under the Fios brand.

Verizon also serves businesses, government agencies, and other organizations with wireless connectivity, private networks, internet and data services, managed communications, cloud and security solutions, and Internet of Things services.