Q3 EPS Estimate for Verizon Communications Cut by Analyst

Key Points

• Zacks Research has revised its Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimate for Verizon Communications from $1.24 to $1.21.
• Verizon's stock has received various ratings upgrades, including price targets rising from $42.00 to $49.00 by multiple analysts, with a consensus target price of $47.35.
• The company recently disclosed a quarterly dividend of $0.6775, representing an annualized yield of 6.3%.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q3 2026 EPS estimates for Verizon Communications in a research note issued to investors on Monday, August 11th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the cell phone carrier will post earnings per share of $1.21 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.24. The consensus estimate for Verizon Communications' current full-year earnings is $4.69 per share.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Arete Research raised shares of Verizon Communications to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $47.35.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

NYSE VZ traded up $0.74 on Wednesday, reaching $44.24. The company had a trading volume of 21,233,741 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,439,254. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $186.53 billion, a PE ratio of 10.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.36. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $42.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.93. Verizon Communications has a 12 month low of $37.58 and a 12 month high of $47.35.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 21st. The cell phone carrier reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $34.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.47 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 13.28% and a return on equity of 19.61%. The company's revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.15 EPS.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th were issued a dividend of $0.6775 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 10th. This represents a $2.71 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is 63.17%.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the second quarter worth about $2,504,150,000. GQG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 303.9% in the first quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 49,859,967 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $2,261,648,000 after buying an additional 37,516,167 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the first quarter worth about $661,720,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 737.5% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 11,697,003 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $530,576,000 after buying an additional 10,300,369 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3,601.6% in the fourth quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 8,937,180 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $357,398,000 after buying an additional 8,695,736 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Company Profile

Verizon Communications Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and governmental entities worldwide. It operates in two segments, Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business).