Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $50.28 and last traded at $50.3650, with a volume of 6086205 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $49.25.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Aduna—backed by Verizon, AT&T and T‑Mobile—says it now has CAMARA‑compliant network API coverage across the U.S., which could expand Verizon’s wholesale/partner distribution and monetization of network intelligence. Aduna Reaches Milestone as a Leading Provider of U.S. Network APIs
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/market narrative nudges — several outlets note modest upward shifts in modeled fair value and continued optimism on Verizon’s 5G and dividend story, supporting investor confidence in the stock’s valuation and income appeal. How The Verizon Communications (VZ) Investment Narrative Is Shifting As Analysts Rework Price Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Management will present at the Morgan Stanley TMT Conference on March 2 — a chance for management to update investors on 5G, monetization, and guidance execution that could be a near‑term catalyst. Verizon to speak at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 2
• Neutral Sentiment: AST SpaceMobile landed a $30M SDA contract and lists Verizon as a partner; this underscores potential ecosystem benefits from satellite-to-device initiatives but is an indirect and uncertain positive for Verizon today. AST SpaceMobile Jumps 9% After Government Contract Announcement (VZ)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces (Forbes, Zacks, MSN) highlight Verizon’s month‑to‑month momentum, dividend yield and 5G positioning; useful context for investors but not immediate catalysts. Buy Or Sell Verizon Stock At $50?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor events and transcripts (Barclays presentation, Seeking Alpha transcript) provide detail on strategy/execution but are informational rather than direct price drivers. Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) Presents at Barclays Communications and Content Symposium 2026 Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose sharply in February — shorted shares increased ~34.8% to ~148.3M shares (~3.5% of float), raising selling pressure and the potential for downside if sentiment flips. (No link provided)
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/regulatory risk: an amici brief asking the Supreme Court to require jury trials for FCC penalty enforcement could prolong or complicate regulatory disputes involving Verizon, adding uncertainty around potential fines or enforcement outcomes. NCLA Asks Supreme Court to Safeguard Jury Trial Rights in FCC Penalty Enforcement Cases

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VZ. 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, February 2nd. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.25 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.02.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $207.78 billion, a PE ratio of 12.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $42.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.23.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VZ. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.5% during 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 buying an additional 5,497,598 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,080,810,000 after acquiring an additional 7,461,335 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,747,930,000 after acquiring an additional 5,851,715 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,168,080,000 after acquiring an additional 867,694 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth $2,357,158,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

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.