Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Given New $47.00 Price Target at The Goldman Sachs Group

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs lowered Verizon’s price target from $51 to $47, implying 7.42% upside from the prior close. Citigroup, Barclays, BNP Paribas Exane and Scotiabank also recently reduced their targets, contributing to an overall “Hold” consensus and average target of $50.89.
• Verizon’s latest quarter produced an earnings beat, with EPS of $1.31 versus the $1.27 consensus, while revenue rose 1.5% year over year to $34.31 billion but missed expectations of $34.77 billion.
• Shares traded at $43.75, near the lower end of their yearly range, as investors weighed strong subscriber growth and cash generation against limited revenue growth and competitive concerns from SpaceX and Starlink.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by The Goldman Sachs Group from $51.00 to $47.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group's price objective suggests a potential upside of 7.42% from the company's previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the company. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Verizon Communications from $55.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays lowered their price objective on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $50.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $50.89.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VZ traded up $0.65 on Tuesday, hitting $43.75. 9,446,300 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 27,369,229. The company's 50 day moving average price is $47.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $181.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.38, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.26. 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 one year low of $38.68 and a one year high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released 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. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.21 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Verizon Communications will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,966 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,446,487.68. This represents a 1.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 9,900 shares of company stock worth $469,073 over the last 90 days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Gill Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 74.6% in the second quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 620 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the period. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 37.4% during the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 841 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. Balance Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 32.7% in the 1st quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 888 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

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.

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