Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Raised to $50.00 at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Verizon from $49 to $50 and maintains an "equal weight" rating, while the consensus price target across analysts is about $50.41 with an average rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Verizon beat Q1 EPS estimates with $1.28 vs. $1.21, issued FY2026 EPS guidance of $4.95–4.99, reported its first positive postpaid phone adds since 2013 and executed ~$2.5B in buybacks, supporting the recent rally despite a slight revenue miss due to one‑time credits.
• Key risks include recent insider selling (Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares) and increased leverage following the Frontier acquisition, which keeps capital‑allocation and credit metrics under investor scrutiny.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $49.00 to $50.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the cell phone carrier's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target suggests a potential upside of 5.90% from the stock's current price.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Two 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.com, Verizon Communications has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.41.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE VZ traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $47.21. The company had a trading volume of 4,933,681 shares, compared to its average volume of 30,522,385. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.90. The stock has a market cap of $197.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.66, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.29. Verizon Communications has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Verizon Communications will post 4.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In related news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% in 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 during the period. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 95.3% during the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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)

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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