Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Given New $47.00 Price Target at The Goldman Sachs Group

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) had its target price reduced by The Goldman Sachs Group from $51.00 to $47.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group‘s price target points to a potential upside of 7.42% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Citigroup cut their price objective on Verizon Communications from $55.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Verizon Communications from $52.00 to $50.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.89.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VZ traded up $0.65 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $43.75. 9,446,300 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 27,369,229. Verizon Communications has a twelve month low of $38.68 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $47.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $181.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.38, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 26th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.77 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%. Verizon Communications’s revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.21 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Verizon Communications will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.48, for a total transaction of $48,928.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 99,966 shares in the company, valued at $4,446,487.68. The trade was a 1.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,900 shares of company stock valued at $469,073. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 15.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 62,101,021 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,117,471,000 after purchasing an additional 8,289,877 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 20.8% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 38,164,982 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,915,882,000 after purchasing an additional 6,580,820 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 14.1% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 41,173,226 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,743,274,000 after buying an additional 5,075,794 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 32,734,998 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,643,339,000 after buying an additional 1,972,634 shares during the period. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 20,882,074 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $884,147,000 after buying an additional 1,305,471 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong subscriber growth and cash generation support the investment case. Verizon added 406,000 postpaid phone subscribers—its best third-quarter result in five years—and 314,000 broadband customers. Third-quarter free cash flow reached $7.8 billion, while broadband revenue hit a record. Verizon: This 6% Telecom Yield Is Still On Sale
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon beat earnings expectations and raised its outlook. Adjusted third-quarter EPS was $1.31 versus the $1.27 consensus, and management increased its full-year 2026 expectations for adjusted EPS, postpaid phone additions and free cash flow. The company also signed an agreement worth more than $2 billion with Amazon Web Services to support AI infrastructure and data-center connectivity. Verizon Raises 2026 Outlook After Strong Postpaid Subscriber Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Some investors view the valuation and dividend as attractive. Commentary highlighted Verizon’s strong cash flow, dividend support and low forward earnings multiple, which could provide downside protection if the company maintains its operational momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed. TD Cowen maintained a “buy” rating while reducing its price target to $55. Morgan Stanley and Barclays also lowered their targets and retained “equal weight” ratings, reflecting uncertainty about Verizon’s growth rate. Verizon Analysts Cut Their Forecasts Following Q3 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations, overshadowing the earnings beat. Third-quarter revenue rose 1.5% year over year to $34.31 billion, below the $34.77 billion consensus. Investors appear more focused on Verizon’s limited top-line growth and slower phone upgrades than on improved margins and subscriber additions. Verizon Analysts Cut Their Forecasts Following Q3 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: SpaceX and Starlink are emerging competitive concerns. Verizon’s CEO said satellite partnerships could complement its network but rejected allowing SpaceX to use Verizon’s infrastructure to compete directly for wireless customers. Although management believes SpaceX may be years away from becoming a major rival, the possibility adds pressure to the outlook. Verizon CEO Open to Working With Elon Musk’s Starlink

Verizon Communications Company Profile

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and digital connectivity services. Through its consumer business, Verizon offers mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and other connected devices, home internet, fixed wireless access, and fiber-optic broadband services under the Fios brand.

Verizon also serves businesses, government agencies, and other organizations with wireless connectivity, private networks, internet and data services, managed communications, cloud and security solutions, and Internet of Things services.