Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Shares Up 1.4% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Verizon shares rose 1.4% to about $50.12 in midday trading, though volume was 31% below the average session volume.
• Analyst views remain mixed: Verizon has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $50.84, with recent targets ranging from $44 to $56.
• Verizon exceeded quarterly EPS expectations with $1.30 versus $1.27 forecast, but revenue declined 0.7% year over year. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, representing a 5.6% annualized yield.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) shares rose 1.4% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $50.28 and last traded at $50.1210. 19,428,216 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 31% from the average session volume of 28,185,506 shares. The stock had previously closed at $49.45.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on VZ shares. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $50.84.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $208.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.25. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $45.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.30.

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

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is currently 73.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verizon Communications news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total value of $53,548.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 109,866 shares in the company, valued at $5,348,276.88. This trade represents a 0.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. RKL Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,338 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Financial Inc. increased its position in Verizon Communications by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Manchester Financial Inc. now owns 34,924 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,479,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 2,765 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 32.7% in the 1st quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 888 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Finally, FAS Wealth Partners Inc. boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.2% in the first quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 18,421 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $925,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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