Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Trading 1.2% Higher – What’s Next?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) was up 1.2% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $49.01 and last traded at $48.6320. 14,369,180 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the average session volume of 28,457,828 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.06.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced plans to redeem certain debt securities in full on September 21, 2026. The move could support balance-sheet management and reduce future interest obligations, although the financial impact depends on the securities’ terms and how the redemption is funded. Verizon to Redeem Debt Securities on September 21, 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s expanded fiber strategy following the Frontier acquisition is viewed as a potential growth catalyst. Greater scale in broadband could improve network economics, support subscriber growth and strengthen competition with other fixed-line providers. Verizon Leans Into Fiber After the Frontier Close
• Positive Sentiment: Income-focused investors continue to cite Verizon’s roughly 5.7%–6% dividend yield and 20 consecutive years of dividend increases. The payout is considered relatively secure, though growth prospects remain limited. Verizon’s Dividend Looks Secure but Investors Should Watch Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares worth $53,548 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The sale reduced his holdings by less than 1% and is unlikely to materially affect investor sentiment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinions remain mixed: Verizon has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average target price near $50.84, reflecting limited expected upside from recent trading levels. Verizon Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q2 Earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Verizon’s final appeal of a $47 million FCC fine related to customer location-data practices. The ruling ends the company’s effort to recover the money and highlights continuing privacy, compliance and regulatory risks. Supreme Court Rejects Verizon Bid to Recover $47 Million FCC Fine
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation analysis argues that Verizon trades above estimated fair value despite higher EBITDA and subscriber growth. High leverage, a current ratio of 0.60 and declining return metrics reinforce concerns that revenue growth and balance-sheet strength may not justify the premium. Verizon and Its Real Value

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VZ shares. Barclays raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.84.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $45.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.24. The firm has a market cap of $204.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.25.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The company had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total value of $53,548.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 109,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,348,276.88. The trade was a 0.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. USS Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 713,156 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $35,790,000 after buying an additional 31,354 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 2,197,366 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $89,499,000 after acquiring an additional 639,380 shares during the period. Clarity Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 697.0% in the fourth quarter. Clarity Financial LLC now owns 471,127 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $19,189,000 after acquiring an additional 412,018 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 2,382,975 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $97,059,000 after acquiring an additional 316,854 shares during the period. Finally, Keudell Morrison Wealth Management bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,171,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.