Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Trading Up 3.1% – Time to Buy?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)’s share price rose 3.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $46.85 and last traded at $46.78. 22,628,589 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 20% from the average daily volume of 28,320,996 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.36.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on VZ. Barclays lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Dbs Bank cut Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $195.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.72.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The company had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sapient Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 29.2% in the 1st quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 18,584 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $933,000 after purchasing an additional 4,198 shares during the last quarter. Southern Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Southern Financial Group LLC now owns 19,321 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $970,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. S&A Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the first quarter valued at about $379,000. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 143.8% during the first quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 6,038 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 3,561 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FAS Wealth Partners Inc. grew its position in Verizon Communications by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 18,421 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $925,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.