Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Outlook for VZ Earnings

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) - Zacks Research lowered their Q4 2025 EPS estimates for Verizon Communications in a report issued on Tuesday, May 13th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the cell phone carrier will post earnings of $1.10 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.11. The consensus estimate for Verizon Communications' current full-year earnings is $4.69 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Verizon Communications' Q2 2026 earnings at $1.22 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.24 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.85 EPS.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The cell phone carrier reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.99% and a return on equity of 19.80%. The firm had revenue of $33.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.31 billion.

VZ has been the subject of several other reports. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.50 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com downgraded Verizon Communications from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. TD Cowen raised Verizon Communications to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $47.41.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of VZ opened at $42.76 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $43.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.00. Verizon Communications has a 1 year low of $37.58 and a 1 year high of $47.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $180.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.39.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a dividend of $0.6775 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.71 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.34%. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is presently 64.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 9,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.10, for a total value of $396,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 10,008 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $441,352.80. The trade was a 47.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Vandana Venkatesh sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.79, for a total transaction of $437,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $633,159.61. The trade was a 40.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,376,300. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VZ. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. raised its position in Verizon Communications by 81.0% in the 1st quarter. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. now owns 543 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 71.8% during the first quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 584 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently 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).

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