VEON (NASDAQ:VEON) Cut to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded VEON from “Buy” to “Hold,” contributing to a consensus “Hold” rating among analysts and a consensus price target of $72.
• VEON’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with EPS of $1.69 versus $1.46 expected and revenue of $1.27 billion versus $1.23 billion projected. However, EPS declined sharply from $8.30 a year earlier, and the company has elevated leverage with a 2.15 debt-to-equity ratio.
• Management raised its 2026 revenue and EBITDA outlook as digital revenue surged 53.6% year over year to $342 million, underscoring VEON’s shift beyond traditional telecommunications toward digital services.

VEON (NASDAQ:VEON - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on VEON. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating on shares of VEON in a report on Monday, June 15th. Zacks Research cut shares of VEON from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $74.00 price objective on shares of VEON and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Northland Securities began coverage on shares of VEON in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of VEON from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $72.00.

VEON Stock Performance

Shares of VEON stock opened at $52.29 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $52.49 and a 200 day moving average of $52.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.01 and a beta of 1.64. VEON has a 52 week low of $42.60 and a 52 week high of $64.00.

VEON (NASDAQ:VEON - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The Wireless communications provider reported $1.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. VEON had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 44.43%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.30 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that VEON will post 6.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of VEON

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in shares of VEON by 77.6% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 225,643 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $11,862,000 after purchasing an additional 98,618 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of VEON during the fourth quarter valued at $618,000. Lingotto Investment Management LLP lifted its holdings in shares of VEON by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Lingotto Investment Management LLP now owns 6,060,852 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $318,619,000 after purchasing an additional 16,758 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of VEON during the fourth quarter valued at $1,293,000. Finally, K2 Principal Fund L.P. bought a new position in VEON during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,015,000. 21.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key VEON News

Here are the key news stories impacting VEON this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raised 2026 outlook: VEON increased its full-year revenue guidance to $5.1 billion-$5.2 billion, above the $4.9 billion analyst consensus, and also raised its EBITDA outlook. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Digital business is gaining momentum: Second-quarter digital revenue rose 53.6% year over year to $342 million, representing 26.9% of group revenue, while digital EBITDA margin reached 36.1%. Total revenue increased 17.0% to $1.271 billion. VEON second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations: VEON reported EPS of $1.69 versus the $1.59 consensus and revenue of $1.27 billion versus expectations of $1.23 billion. VEON earnings report
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kaan Terzioglu emphasized expanding beyond traditional telecommunications into broader digital services, while management highlighted additional digital investments in Ukraine. The strategy could support longer-term growth but depends on successful execution. VEON CEO interview
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts cited a $72 price target, implying upside from the recent trading level, although another valuation analysis estimated approximately 13% downside, reflecting differing views on VEON’s fair value. Analyst price target article
• Negative Sentiment: Despite beating estimates, quarterly EPS fell substantially from $8.30 in the prior-year period. VEON also carries elevated leverage, with a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15, which may limit investor enthusiasm.

About VEON

VEON Ltd NASDAQ: VEON is a global telecommunications and digital services provider headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Originally founded as VimpelCom in Russia in 1992, the company rebranded to VEON in 2017 to reflect its transformation into a technology-driven operator. VEON operates as a holding company with direct investments in mobile and internet service providers across multiple emerging markets, delivering voice, data and digital services to individual and enterprise customers.

Through its operating subsidiaries, VEON offers a broad portfolio that includes 2G/3G/4G mobile access, fixed broadband, digital lifestyle applications and mobile financial services.

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