Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on Verizon, with 12 holds and eight buys among 20 firms. The average 12-month price target is $50.97, close to the reported share price of $50.15.
• Verizon exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $1.30 versus the $1.27 consensus, although revenue of $34.25 billion missed estimates and declined 0.7% year over year.
• The stock has traded between $38.39 and $51.68 over the past year, while insiders sold 3,300 shares worth about $164,000 in the last quarter; institutional investors own 62.06% of the company.

Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Hold" from the twenty ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $50.9667.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE:VZ opened at $50.15 on Monday. 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 50-day simple moving average of $46.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.36 billion, a PE ratio of 13.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%.The business's revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Analysts forecast that Verizon Communications will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.50, for a total value of $55,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 107,666 shares in the company, valued at $5,437,133. The trade was a 1.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 3,300 shares of company stock worth $164,164 over the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gill Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 74.6% during the second quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 620 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the first quarter worth $27,000. Lam Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the first quarter worth $28,000. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the fourth quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

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.

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