Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Raised to $44.00

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) had its target price upped by Wells Fargo & Company from $41.00 to $44.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the cell phone carrier’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 0.65% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on VZ. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday. Barclays assumed coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane cut Verizon Communications from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $44.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $47.73.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.5%

VZ traded down $0.23 on Monday, hitting $44.29. 18,029,647 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 33,414,324. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $186.75 billion, a PE ratio of 10.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.15 and a beta of 0.34. Verizon Communications has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $47.35.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advantage Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 549.5% during the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 591 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 95.3% during the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon reported a Q4 earnings beat (EPS $1.09 vs. ~$1.06 expected) and revenue slightly above estimates, and it set FY?2026 EPS guidance of $4.90–$4.95 — giving investors confidence in near?term earnings and cashflow. Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Shares Up After Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Management announced aggressive shareholder returns tied to the Frontier deal: cost cuts and a roughly $25 billion buyback plan, which supports EPS per share and is a clear catalyst for the rally. Verizon Resets Story With Frontier Deal Cost Cuts And $25b Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (2.5% increase), implying a ~6.4% yield — this makes VZ more attractive to income investors and supports valuation given the stock’s high yield.
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually high options volume has been recorded, signaling elevated short?term trading and speculation around the stock; this can amplify moves but is not a fundamental change. Verizon Sees Unusually High Options Volume
• Neutral Sentiment: Former Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg joined Digi Power X as a senior advisor — notable because of his 5G leadership at Verizon, but the move is peripheral to Verizon’s operations and unlikely to materially affect VZ fundamentals. Digi Power X names former Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg as senior advisor
• Negative Sentiment: Management admitted pricing moves have driven higher churn — reports detail ~2.25 million customer losses tied to price sensitivity, which is a clear headwind for revenue growth and could pressure subscriber metrics going forward. Verizon’s CEO just admitted its price cuts cost the company customers
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts/commentary argue that buybacks alone won’t fix structural issues (customer losses and competitive pressure), so some investors remain cautious despite buybacks and dividend increases. Verizon Needs More Than A Stock Buyback

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.