Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Shares Up 3.7% – Here’s What Happened

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)’s stock price was up 3.7% during trading on Thursday. The company traded as high as $45.29 and last traded at $45.1550. 28,225,234 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 4% from the average session volume of 27,250,592 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.56.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon enters earnings season with potential support from strong customer metrics, fiber expansion and an attractive valuation. Analysts expect third-quarter EPS of approximately $1.27, and investors will closely watch wireless customer additions, churn and broadband momentum. Is Verizon Stock Worth Buying Ahead of Q3 Earnings Release
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s quarterly dividend remains an important support for income-oriented investors. The company declared a $0.7075-per-share quarterly payout, equivalent to approximately $2.83 annually and a yield of about 6.5% based on the cited share price. Verizon dividend information
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein maintained a “Hold” rating on VZ, indicating limited conviction that the current outlook warrants a more bullish or bearish stance. The broader analyst consensus also remains Hold, with a cited average price target of $50.80. Bernstein remains a Hold on Verizon
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares for roughly $48,928 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction reduced his direct holdings by only about 1.09%, making it a limited signal about management’s outlook. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: SpaceX’s roughly $8 billion nationwide 800 MHz spectrum purchase is raising concerns that satellite connectivity could intensify competition and pressure wireless pricing. The development has overshadowed Verizon’s upcoming earnings and contributed to weakness across major telecom shares. Verizon slides as SpaceX spectrum deal clouds wireless pricing
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain cautious because Verizon faces intense competition, high debt and the possibility that even an earnings beat may not produce a strong stock reaction, as seen with AT&T. The company’s earnings report will therefore need to show meaningful operating improvement, not just meet EPS expectations. SpaceX spectrum deal and Verizon earnings

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on VZ shares. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Barclays boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.80.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $47.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.66. The company has a market capitalization of $187.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.76, a price-to-earnings-growth 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.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 73.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verizon Communications news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.48, for a total transaction of $48,928.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,446,487.68. The trade was a 1.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 9,900 shares of company stock valued at $469,073 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the third quarter valued at approximately $726,000. Capstone Capital Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter worth $592,000. Range Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 104,036 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,772,000 after acquiring an additional 2,649 shares during the last quarter. Newman Dignan & Sheerar Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Newman Dignan & Sheerar Inc. now owns 26,408 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the period. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 14,860 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 2,628 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

About Verizon Communications

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.