Freedom Broker Upgrades Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) to "Buy"

Key Points

• Freedom Broker upgraded Verizon to “Buy” from “Hold” and raised its price target to $55 from $53, implying approximately 27.4% upside from the reported share price.
• Verizon’s latest quarter beat EPS expectations at $1.31 versus $1.27, while revenue rose 1.5% year over year to $34.31 billion but fell short of the $34.77 billion consensus estimate.
• Despite the upgrade, broader analyst sentiment remains cautious: Verizon has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $50.75; shares fell 1.8% to $43.16 in Wednesday trading.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Freedom Broker from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $55.00 price objective on the cell phone carrier's stock, up from their previous price objective of $53.00. Freedom Broker's target price suggests a potential upside of 27.43% from the company's current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $50.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 9th. Moffett Nathanson increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $52.00 to $50.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $50.75.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of VZ traded down $0.77 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $43.16. The company had a trading volume of 25,368,554 shares, compared to its average volume of 27,451,646. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $47.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $179.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications has a 52-week low of $38.68 and a 52-week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 26th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.04. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.77 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. Verizon Communications's revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications will post 5.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.00, for a total transaction of $47,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 98,866 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,251,238. This represents a 1.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 11,000 shares of company stock worth $516,373. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Prosperitas Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Prosperitas Financial LLC now owns 6,803 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 595 shares during the period. Canopy Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter valued at $200,000. Brian Low Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter valued at $263,000. Partners Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 159.5% in the 3rd quarter. Partners Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,493 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $619,000 after purchasing an additional 8,294 shares during the period. Finally, Founders Financial Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 3.4% during the third quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 24,396 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,119,000 after buying an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Operational momentum remains strong. Verizon reported adjusted third-quarter EPS of $1.31, above the $1.27 consensus, while revenue rose 1.5% year over year to $34.31 billion. Record postpaid phone additions, broadband growth and lower promotional costs supported the results. Verizon Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Growth and AI Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 outlook. Verizon increased guidance for postpaid net additions, earnings and free cash flow, reinforcing the bullish case for its dividend and balance-sheet improvement. The company also highlighted record broadband revenue and $7.8 billion of quarterly free cash flow. Verizon Q3: Mr. Market Is Giving Away Over 6% Yield After Another Record Quarter
• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure could create a new growth channel. Verizon has secured roughly $4 billion in AI-related contracts with Amazon Web Services and Alphabet, while expanding fiber capacity. Customer-funded expansion at Corning, a key fiber supplier, could support Verizon’s longer-term network strategy. The Invisible AI Backbone: Corning’s AI Fiber Play
• Neutral Sentiment: Starlink is viewed as both a potential partner and competitor. CEO Dan Schulman said Verizon could work with satellite providers to extend coverage, but SpaceX would need substantial time and capital—potentially four to six years and hundreds of billions of dollars—to become a full-scale wireless rival. Verizon CEO Open to Working With Elon Musk’s Starlink
• Neutral Sentiment: An executive stock sale was limited in size. CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares for approximately $47,300 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing his position by 1.1%. The planned nature and small size make the transaction less significant for investors. SEC Form 4 Filing
• Negative Sentiment: The revenue miss overshadowed the earnings beat. Quarterly revenue of $34.31 billion fell short of the $34.77 billion analyst estimate, raising concerns about growth and contributing to the share-price decline despite stronger-than-expected earnings. Why Verizon Stock Is Down Today
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts trimmed price targets after the report. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, Citi, Daiwa, BNP Paribas Exane and TD Cowen all reduced targets, although several retained buy ratings. The revisions signal more limited near-term upside and continued skepticism about revenue growth.

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.

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