Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Down 1.4% on Insider Selling

Key Points

• Verizon shares fell 1.4% after CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares for about $55,000. The sale was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and represented just 1.02% of his direct holdings.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $50.97; eight analysts recommend buying, while twelve rate the stock a hold.
• Verizon signed a multiyear agreement with Corning for more than 80 million miles of optical fiber to support broadband expansion and AI data-center connectivity, while maintaining its quarterly dividend at $0.7075 per share.

Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) were down 1.4% during trading on Wednesday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $48.82 and last traded at $49.6980. Approximately 22,464,018 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 19% from the average session volume of 27,574,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.41.

Specifically, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.98, for a total value of $54,978.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 106,566 shares in the company, valued at $5,326,168.68. The trade was a 1.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on VZ shares. 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 report on Monday, July 27th. Moffett Nathanson dropped their price target on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 20th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $50.97.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon signed a multi-year agreement with Corning to secure more than 80 million miles of high-density optical fiber from 2027 through 2032. The supply will support residential broadband expansion, long-haul network routes, and connectivity for AI data centers. Reuters fiber agreement article
• Positive Sentiment: The fiber commitment could help Verizon expand broadband passings toward its 40 million-to-50 million target following the Frontier acquisition, improve wireless-and-home-internet bundling, and develop higher-margin enterprise services such as data-center interconnect and managed wavelengths. Verizon stock information
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, payable November 2 to shareholders of record October 9. The stable payout reinforces the stock’s appeal to income-focused investors, although it does not represent an increase. Verizon dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Management presentations at Citi’s Global TMT Conference and Goldman Sachs’ Communacopia + Technology Conference were published, but the supplied reports do not identify new guidance or other specific developments likely to materially change valuation. Citi conference transcript
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares for approximately $55,000. The transaction occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and represented only 1.02% of his direct holdings, making it a limited bearish signal. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: The fiber agreement’s financial benefits are several years away, while the required network investment and Verizon’s already elevated valuation near its 52-week high may encourage profit-taking. Broader rotation away from defensive telecom stocks has also weighed on sentiment.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 1.4%

The business's 50-day simple moving average is $46.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.50. The company has a market cap of $206.48 billion, a PE ratio of 12.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lam Group Inc. bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Gill Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake 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 last quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 173.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other 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 related technology services. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, 5G connectivity, fixed wireless access, fiber-optic internet through Verizon Fios, home services, and connected-device solutions.

Through Verizon Business, the company serves enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations with communications networks, managed connectivity, cybersecurity, cloud and edge-computing services, unified communications, and Internet of Things solutions.

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