Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Reaches New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $47.00 to $49.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Verizon Communications traded as high as $47.55 and last traded at $47.3770, with a volume of 28398187 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $46.25.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on VZ. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $49.02.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Verizon Communications this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple broker upgrades and price-target raises (Citigroup to $50 buy, Evercore to $50 outperform, Scotiabank/RBC/Morgan Stanley/JPMorgan raises) lift near-term upside expectations and support the rally. Analyst target raises
• Positive Sentiment: Solid Q4 results — EPS and revenue modestly beat estimates and Verizon posted large wireless subscriber additions — underpin revenue and free-cash-flow momentum that analysts cite for higher 2026 EPS guidance. Q4 beat & subscriber adds
• Positive Sentiment: Management actions: a raised quarterly dividend (now a ~6%+ yield) and a $25B buyback program increase return of capital and are a clear catalyst for income-focused investors. Dividend & buyback
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market and sector flows are influencing VZ — the stock is moving with the S&P 500 Communications Index, so part of today’s move reflects sector rotation rather than pure company-specific news. Sector flow note
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces and “trending” interest (Zacks, Globe & Mail, Seeking Alpha) are circulating and may attract short-term trading volume but are not guaranteed catalysts. Zacks trending piece
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/reputational risk: Senator Maria Cantwell says Verizon is blocking release of Salt Typhoon security assessment reports and has requested CEO testimony — this could draw regulatory scrutiny and news volatility. Reuters: Senator on Salt Typhoon
• Negative Sentiment: Cost and margin pressure remain a concern: heavy 5G and fiber investment, price-lock dynamics and prior pricing moves could compress margins and limit multiple expansion. Zacks: margin pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP Joseph Russo disclosed a sale of ~9,579 shares (reducing his position) — not large enough alone to signal a structural issue but a datapoint investors monitor. SEC Form 4: Russo sale

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,504,150,000. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,470,788,000 after purchasing an additional 7,276,809 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 51.1% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,512,228 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $637,812,000 after purchasing an additional 4,905,101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 21.5% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $915,552,000 after purchasing an additional 3,743,892 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $198.28 billion, a PE ratio of 11.59, a PEG ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 0.33. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $40.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.64.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The business had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

Verizon Communications Company Profile

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.