Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Verizon with an equal weight rating and a $49 price target, implying roughly a 6.6% upside from current levels.
• Analyst consensus is mildly positive — the stock's average rating is Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $50.56, and several firms (Evercore, JPMorgan, Weiss) recently adjusted or raised targets.
• Verizon beat Q1 estimates with $1.09 EPS on $36.38B revenue and set FY2026 guidance of 4.900–4.950 EPS, while insiders sold 218,148 shares (~$10.78M) recently, including a 200,000-share sale by director Hans Erik Vestberg.

Research analysts at Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm set an "equal weight" rating and a $49.00 price target on the cell phone carrier's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective points to a potential upside of 6.60% from the stock's current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on VZ. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Dbs Bank cut Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.56.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of Verizon Communications stock traded up $0.94 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $45.97. 1,894,949 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 31,085,787. Verizon Communications has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $192.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $49.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.66.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 95.3% during the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

About Verizon Communications

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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