FY2026 Earnings Forecast for VZ Issued By Erste Group Bank

Key Points

• Erste Group raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Verizon to $4.96 (from $4.92) and kept a Hold rating, in line with the consensus full‑year EPS of $4.96.
• Verizon beat Q1 EPS at $1.28 versus the $1.21 estimate but slightly missed revenue, and the company set FY2026 guidance of $4.95–$4.99 EPS.
• The street consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $50.59; the stock trades at a P/E of ~11.49 and a market cap of about $196.7B.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank upped their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Verizon Communications in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, May 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the cell phone carrier will post earnings per share of $4.96 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $4.92. Erste Group Bank currently has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Verizon Communications' current full-year earnings is $4.96 per share.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Dbs Bank cut Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE:VZ opened at $47.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. Verizon Communications has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $48.81 and a 200-day moving average of $44.20.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VZ. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $14,761,000 after acquiring an additional 13,787 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $13,521,000 after acquiring an additional 17,495 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 14.0% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $16,665,000 after purchasing an additional 46,699 shares during the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $3,184,000 after purchasing an additional 14,862 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 18.4% in the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $6,196,000 after purchasing an additional 21,915 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.03% 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.