JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target to $49.00

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) had its target price lifted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $47.00 to $49.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the cell phone carrier’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 4.89% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on VZ. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded Verizon Communications from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $44.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased 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. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.02.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 4.7%

Shares of VZ traded up $2.11 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $46.72. The company had a trading volume of 34,731,428 shares, compared to its average volume of 35,527,840. The stock has a market cap of $196.98 billion, a PE ratio of 11.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.15 and a beta of 0.33. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.60. Verizon Communications has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $47.35.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The business’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. Research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,759,000 after purchasing an additional 16,704 shares in the last quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.2% in the second quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC now owns 10,263 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.8% in the second quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 125,967 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $5,451,000 after acquiring an additional 3,477 shares during the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 52.0% during the second quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 589,462 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $25,506,000 after acquiring an additional 201,755 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Seamount Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $451,000. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and big subscriber additions: Verizon topped EPS and revenue expectations for Q4 (reported Jan. 30) and reported “massive” wireless subscriber adds, supporting near‑term revenue momentum. Verizon (VZ) Posts Massive Wireless Subscriber Additions in Q4
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns and Frontier transaction: Management outlined cost savings tied to the Frontier deal and a large $25B buyback program, which combined with the dividend raise increases cash‑return visibility. Verizon Resets Story With Frontier Deal Cost Cuts And $25b Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike: Verizon announced a quarterly dividend raised to $0.7075 (annualized yield ~6.4%), reinforcing its income appeal for yield‑oriented investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst price‑target increases: Several firms have lifted PTs (Citigroup, Evercore ISI, Scotiabank, Morgan Stanley, RBC), with Citi reinstating a buy and higher upside assumptions — analyst upgrading/raise activity is supporting buying interest. Citigroup PT raise / Benzinga Benzinga aggregation
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and positioning: Coverage pieces are revisiting VZ’s low forward P/E and valuation after the Q4 beat and buyback — some see upside, others flag nearby technical resistance. Valuation After Q4 Beat
• Neutral Sentiment: Market correlation: Shares are also moving with the S&P 500 communications index, so index flows are influencing intraday action. Shares Move With Index
• Negative Sentiment: Cost/margin pressure from 5G and fiber build: Analysts warn heavy capital spending on 5G and fiber, price‑lock promotions and margin pressure could weigh on free cash flow despite revenue strength. Zacks: Spending and Margin Risk
• Negative Sentiment: Customer loss from past price cuts: Management acknowledged earlier price cuts cost customers, a signal that churn/ARPU dynamics require monitoring. USA Today: CEO Admits Price Cuts Cost Customers
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst views: Some firms (e.g., Wells Fargo) maintain neutral/equal‑weight stances and lower implied upside — keep an eye on consensus revisions. Wells Fargo note

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.