Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) To Go Ex-Dividend on April 10th

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of 0.7075 per share by the cell phone carrier on Friday, May 1st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This is a 2.5% increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69.

Verizon Communications has increased its dividend by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 20 consecutive years. Verizon Communications has a dividend payout ratio of 58.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Verizon Communications to earn $4.86 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.83 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 58.2%.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $48.57 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $204.84 billion, a PE ratio of 11.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.29. Verizon Communications has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company’s 50 day moving average is $48.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.54.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Verizon Communications will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VZ shares. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.56.

Verizon Communications Company Profile

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.