Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Raised to $49.00

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) had its target price boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $47.00 to $49.00 in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the cell phone carrier’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.25 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday. One investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $49.02.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of VZ opened at $47.13 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $40.77 and its 200-day moving average is $41.72. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $198.74 billion, a PE ratio of 11.64, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.33. Verizon Communications has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $47.58.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Verizon Communications will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,504,150,000. State Street Corp raised its position in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in 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 during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in 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 valued at $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 51.1% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,512,228 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $637,812,000 after purchasing an additional 4,905,101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 21.5% during the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $915,552,000 after purchasing an additional 3,743,892 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Broad analyst upgrades and price-target raises this week have pushed bullish flows and sentiment, supporting upside momentum. Shares Up After Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals and capital returns look supportive: Verizon reported a Q4 beat, raised its dividend, and is executing a $25B buyback program and cost cuts — factors analysts cite for higher EPS and free-cash-flow trajectory. Seeking Alpha: Strong Momentum for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and whether recent gains fully reflect future cash-flow strength are under debate — some coverage suggests upside remains, others urge caution on multiple expansion. Yahoo Finance: Valuation Discussion
• Neutral Sentiment: Third-party/adjacent tech developments (AST SpaceMobile) are being watched for potential partnership or spectrum opportunities, but they’re not an immediate driver of Verizon’s core results. AST SpaceMobile Launch Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: An executive insider (EVP Joseph Russo) disclosed a sale of ~9,579 shares; notable but not uncommon and often judged case-by-case by investors. SEC Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Leadership turnover: Verizon’s consumer unit CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath is stepping down as new CEO Dan Schulman pursues a turnaround — management changes can create short‑term execution risk during a transition. Reuters: Consumer Division Head Departing WSJ: CEO Step-Down
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/competitive friction: Verizon sued T‑Mobile alleging false advertising around savings claims — could be a distraction and bring litigation costs or escalate competitive responses. Reuters: Verizon Sues T-Mobile
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/reputational risk: reporting and political scrutiny (e.g., calls to release Salt Typhoon security assessments) could create additional oversight or disclosure requirements investors will monitor. Reuters: Senator on Security Assessment

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.