Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Raised to $46.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its target on Verizon from $44 to $46 and maintained an "equal weight" rating (implying ~2% downside), while the Street consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $50.34.
• Verizon beat Q1 EPS ($1.28 vs. $1.21), set FY2026 guidance to $4.95–$4.99, delivered record adjusted EBITDA and expanded margins, and executed roughly $2.5B of buybacks, bolstering its profitability narrative.
• Potential risks include notable insider selling (Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares) and higher leverage following the Frontier deal, which keeps capital-allocation and credit metrics under investor scrutiny.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) had its target price upped by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $44.00 to $46.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the cell phone carrier's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective would suggest a potential downside of 1.97% from the stock's previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Dbs Bank cut shares of Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.34.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:VZ traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $46.93. 2,616,826 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 30,490,563. The company has a fifty day moving average of $49.02 and a 200 day moving average of $43.90. Verizon Communications has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.61, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.29.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.79 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company's revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Verizon Communications will post 4.9 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In other news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Peak Financial Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 10.9% during the first quarter. Peak Financial Management Inc. now owns 10,922 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $548,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070 shares during the last quarter. Mount Vernon Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.6% in the first quarter. Mount Vernon Associates Inc. MD now owns 20,584 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,033,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the period. NBT Bank N A NY lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 9.9% in the first quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 83,575 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $4,195,000 after acquiring an additional 7,540 shares during the period. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,729,000. Finally, St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 3.4% in the first quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 14,658 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $736,000 after acquiring an additional 478 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat and guidance raise — Verizon reported $1.28 EPS vs. $1.21 expected and updated FY26 EPS guidance to $4.95–4.99, signaling stronger profitability and underpinning the stock rally. Verizon lifts annual profit forecast after surprise rise in wireless subscribers (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Subscriber turnaround — Verizon posted its first positive Q1 postpaid phone adds since 2013 and materially lower churn, which investors view as proof its pricing/retention strategy is working and will support higher-margin growth. Verizon Stock Jumps After Earnings (Barron's)
• Positive Sentiment: Record profitability and capital returns — Verizon delivered record adjusted EBITDA and expanded margins, executed ~$2.5B of buybacks in Q1, and reiterated a strong dividend policy, supporting both income and total-return narratives. Verizon Q1 Earnings Dip—A Buying Opportunity for VZ Stock? (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: AI and enterprise opportunity — Management said it’s in advanced talks with hyperscalers and cloud providers to monetize 5G/fiber for AI infrastructure, a potential multi‑billion-dollar upside that could diversify revenue. Verizon lifts profit guidance after solid Q1 (ProActive Investors)
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue miss explained — Q1 revenue came in slightly below estimates ($34.44B vs. ~$34.8B consensus) largely due to one-time customer credits tied to a January outage; management says underlying trends are healthier. Verizon stock: why are investors ignoring Q1 revenue miss (Invezz)
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and customer engagement — Verizon is running consumer programs (e.g., World Cup ticket promotions) that boost brand and ARPU potential but are unlikely to move fundamentals materially in the near term. How to win free tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final with Verizon (GlobeNewswire)
• Negative Sentiment: Higher leverage from recent M&A — Net debt metrics rose after the Frontier deal (management targets gradual deleveraging), which keeps capital allocation and credit risk on investors’ watchlists. Verizon Q1 Earnings Dip—A Buying Opportunity for VZ Stock? (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Emerging competitive threats — FCC approval for AST SpaceMobile’s direct‑to‑device service (with major backers) highlights a potential new competitive vector in space-based connectivity that could pressure future pricing/coverage dynamics in certain markets. AST SpaceMobile Gets FCC Green Light (MarketBeat)

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.

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