Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $51.67 and last traded at $51.4250, with a volume of 4116165 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.58.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong fundamentals and momentum: analysts and commentators point to Verizon’s better‑than‑expected Q4 (best postpaid phone net adds in years), strong 5G demand, improved free cash flow and a $25 billion buyback program as catalysts that can push the stock higher. Verizon Communications Stock Is Soaring in 2026. Here’s Why It Can Still Go Higher
• Positive Sentiment: Income/defensive appeal: multiple income‑focused writeups highlight VZ’s ~5.5% yield, 20‑year streak of dividend increases and institutional inflows — positioning Verizon as a safe, high‑yield play in a choppy market. 5 High-Yield Stocks to Shield Your Portfolio From the Storm (VZ)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism: a recent price target raise to $55 suggests some buy‑side upside remains, supporting near‑term bullish sentiment. Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Raised to $55.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand/marketing push: Verizon announced FIFA World Cup 2026 customer promotions (ticket sweepstakes and experiences) that can help drive engagement and ARPU modestly but are unlikely to materially move near‑term revenue. *MEDIA ALERT* All the ways Verizon customers can win free tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ this spring
• Negative Sentiment: Business segment pressure: recent analyst pieces flag a dip in Verizon’s business segment revenues, rising costs and fiercer enterprise competition — which could limit margin expansion and slow growth if enterprise/5G monetization lags expectations. Can Verizon’s Business Segment Portfolio Generate Future Profit?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on VZ. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Scotiabank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.32.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $216.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $43.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.5%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.15%.

Insider Activity

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% in the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its position in Verizon Communications by 95.3% during the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

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.