Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Trading Up 1.6% Following Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) rose 1.6% 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 $46.97. Approximately 46,144,152 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 24% from the average daily volume of 37,237,387 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.25.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on VZ. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $44.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.02.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations and Verizon reported large wireless subscriber additions, supporting revenue/EPS momentum and near‑term upside. InsiderMonkey Q4/Subscriber Adds
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages raised price targets/ratings recently (Citigroup to $50 Buy, Evercore to $50 Outperform, Scotiabank higher, Morgan Stanley/JPMorgan commentary), adding analyst support for further share appreciation. Citigroup PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Management actions are shareholder‑friendly: a raised quarterly dividend and a ~$25B buyback plan tied to the Frontier deal and cost savings, which improve cash return potential. Yahoo Finance: Frontier deal & buyback
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage/analysis pieces (Zacks, Globe & Mail) are parsing valuation after the Q4 beat — useful context but not an immediate catalytic event. Zacks trending piece
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s share moves are also tracking the S&P 500 Communications Index today, so some of the move reflects sector flows rather than company‑specific catalysts. Kalkine Media
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and reputational risk: Senator Maria Cantwell says Verizon is blocking release of Salt Typhoon security assessment reports and has asked for CEO testimony — this could lead to scrutiny or hearings. Reuters: Senator on Salt Typhoon
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentaries warn of margin pressure from heavy 5G/fiber capex, price‑lock dynamics and prior price cuts that could limit margin expansion and multiple re‑rating. Zacks: Margin pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP Joseph Russo sold ~9.6k shares recently (SEC filing), a small signal investors may note though not a major directional catalyst by itself. SEC Form 4

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in 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 valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Hudock Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hudock Inc. now owns 39,842 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,724,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 8,571 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 71,541 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $3,144,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Camden National Bank increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.6% in the second quarter. Camden National Bank now owns 5,666 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 1.6%

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $40.52 and a 200 day moving average of $41.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $198.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.60, a PEG ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 0.33.

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

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

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

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.