Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for VZ Earnings

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Verizon Communications in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, May 13th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the cell phone carrier will earn $1.10 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.11. The consensus estimate for Verizon Communications’ current full-year earnings is $4.69 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Verizon Communications’ Q2 2026 earnings at $1.22 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.24 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.85 EPS.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The cell phone carrier reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $33.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.31 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 12.99%.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.50 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Argus upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective (up previously from $42.00) on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.41.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $43.97 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $43.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.03. The firm has a market cap of $185.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.62, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.39. Verizon Communications has a 1 year low of $37.59 and a 1 year high of $47.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.63.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 81.0% during the 1st quarter. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. now owns 543 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 71.8% during the 1st quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 584 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, 1 North Wealth Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.88, for a total transaction of $329,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 19,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $834,071.04. This represents a 28.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Vandana Venkatesh sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.79, for a total transaction of $437,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $633,159.61. This represents a 40.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,500 shares of company stock worth $1,376,300. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a $0.6775 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.71 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.16%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.52%.

Verizon Communications Company Profile

Verizon Communications Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and governmental entities worldwide. It operates in two segments, Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business).