What is Erste Group Bank's Estimate for VZ FY2027 Earnings?

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate for Verizon to $5.26 (from $5.28) and retains a "Strong‑Buy" rating on the stock.
• By comparison, the Street consensus for FY2027 is $4.95; Verizon also reported Q1 EPS of $1.28 (vs. $1.21 expected) and set FY2026 guidance of $4.950–$4.990.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Erste Group Bank lowered their FY2027 earnings estimates for shares of Verizon Communications in a research note issued on Monday, April 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the cell phone carrier will earn $5.26 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $5.28. Erste Group Bank has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Verizon Communications' current full-year earnings is $4.95 per share.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The business 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 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The company's revenue for the quarter 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.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on VZ. William Blair upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped 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 report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.41.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $46.57 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company has a market capitalization of $194.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.29. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $48.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.97. Verizon Communications has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. RKL Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% in the first quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,338 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 2,765 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 35,023 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,426,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Triton Wealth Management PLLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 9,257 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $377,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. 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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