Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Up 3.7% – Here’s What Happened

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) shares shot up 3.7% on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $45.29 and last traded at $45.1550. Approximately 28,225,234 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 4% from the average daily volume of 27,250,592 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.56.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon enters earnings season with potential support from strong customer metrics, fiber expansion and an attractive valuation. Analysts expect third-quarter EPS of approximately $1.27, and investors will closely watch wireless customer additions, churn and broadband momentum. Is Verizon Stock Worth Buying Ahead of Q3 Earnings Release
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s quarterly dividend remains an important support for income-oriented investors. The company declared a $0.7075-per-share quarterly payout, equivalent to approximately $2.83 annually and a yield of about 6.5% based on the cited share price. Verizon dividend information
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein maintained a “Hold” rating on VZ, indicating limited conviction that the current outlook warrants a more bullish or bearish stance. The broader analyst consensus also remains Hold, with a cited average price target of $50.80. Bernstein remains a Hold on Verizon
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares for roughly $48,928 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction reduced his direct holdings by only about 1.09%, making it a limited signal about management’s outlook. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: SpaceX’s roughly $8 billion nationwide 800 MHz spectrum purchase is raising concerns that satellite connectivity could intensify competition and pressure wireless pricing. The development has overshadowed Verizon’s upcoming earnings and contributed to weakness across major telecom shares. Verizon slides as SpaceX spectrum deal clouds wireless pricing
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain cautious because Verizon faces intense competition, high debt and the possibility that even an earnings beat may not produce a strong stock reaction, as seen with AT&T. The company’s earnings report will therefore need to show meaningful operating improvement, not just meet EPS expectations. SpaceX spectrum deal and Verizon earnings

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $50.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.80.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $47.65 and a 200 day moving average of $46.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $187.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.76, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.26.

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

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 73.70%.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.48, for a total transaction of $48,928.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,446,487.68. The trade was a 1.09% 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. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 9,900 shares of company stock valued at $469,073 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VZ. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Lam Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Gill Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 74.6% in the 2nd quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 620 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 37.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 841 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 32.7% in the 1st quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 888 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and digital connectivity services. Through its consumer business, Verizon offers mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and other connected devices, home internet, fixed wireless access, and fiber-optic broadband services under the Fios brand.

Verizon also serves businesses, government agencies, and other organizations with wireless connectivity, private networks, internet and data services, managed communications, cloud and security solutions, and Internet of Things services.