Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Shares Down 2.1% on Insider Selling

Key Points

• Verizon shares fell 2.1% to about $43.62 after CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares for approximately $48,928 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Trading volume was about 29.8 million shares, 10% above average.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with eight Buy ratings and twelve Holds; the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $50.80.
• Verizon reported quarterly EPS of $1.30, above expectations, but revenue declined 0.7% year over year. The company also offers a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, representing an annualized yield of approximately 6.5%.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report)'s stock price fell 2.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $43.00 and last traded at $43.6240. Approximately 29,844,500 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 10% from the average daily volume of 27,218,145 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.54.

Specifically, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.48, for a total value 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 $4,446,487.68. The trade was a 1.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. TD Cowen upped their price target 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. Barclays boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson reduced their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $50.80.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon enters its upcoming earnings release with supportive fundamentals, including strong customer metrics, continued fiber expansion and an attractive valuation. Analysts expect single-digit year-over-year EPS growth, while Verizon’s low P/E ratio may appeal to income- and value-oriented investors. Is Verizon Stock Worth Buying Ahead of Q3 Earnings Release?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Verizon’s third-quarter results, expected in the coming week. The report will be important for assessing wireless subscriber trends, service revenue, margins and management’s outlook after the company previously guided to fiscal 2026 EPS of approximately $4.99-$5.04. What You Need to Know Ahead of Verizon Communications’ Earnings Release
• Negative Sentiment: AT&T’s post-earnings selloff, despite a quarterly beat and raised outlook, is weighing on Verizon and other wireless carriers. The reaction suggests investors may be concerned about sector valuation, growth durability or competitive trends rather than headline earnings alone. AT&T Sinks 5% Despite Q3 Beat and Raised Outlook; Verizon and T-Mobile Drop 3%
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive risks remain elevated. Analysts cite pressure from T-Mobile and AT&T, while Elon Musk’s comments portraying Starlink as a disruptive force in telecom add to investor concerns about future satellite-connectivity competition. Verizon’s substantial debt is another consideration, particularly if interest rates remain restrictive. Elon Musk Says SpaceX’s Starlink Is Rewriting Telecom
• Negative Sentiment: A wireless customer-experience study reported a widening gap between large legacy carriers and smaller challenger brands, reinforcing concerns about customer loyalty, churn and the cost of defending market share. Market Force Information Wireless Benchmark Study

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

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 business's fifty day moving average price is $47.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $181.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.26.

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

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.5%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.70%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capstone Capital Management Ltd bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter valued at $592,000. Range Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 2.6% during the third quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 104,036 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $4,772,000 after buying an additional 2,649 shares during the period. Newman Dignan & Sheerar Inc. raised its position in 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 worth $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares during the period. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 21.5% during the third quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 14,860 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $682,000 after buying an additional 2,628 shares during the period. Finally, 55 North Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 7.5% in the third quarter. 55 North Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,510 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $390,000 after buying an additional 596 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.

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