What is Erste Group Bank’s Forecast for VZ FY2027 Earnings?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) – Analysts at Erste Group Bank cut their FY2027 earnings estimates for Verizon Communications in a research report issued on Wednesday, October 21st. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the cell phone carrier will post earnings of $5.25 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $5.26. The consensus estimate for Verizon Communications’ current full-year earnings is $5.03 per share.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $34.25 billion during 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 was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.22 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on VZ. Moffett Nathanson decreased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Barclays increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $50.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.80.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $45.16 on Friday. Verizon Communications has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68. The company has a market capitalization of $187.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.26. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average price is $47.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.66.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. USS Investment Management Ltd raised its position in shares of 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 worth $35,790,000 after purchasing an additional 31,354 shares during the period. Cornerstone Capital Inc. boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Capital Inc. now owns 317,284 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $13,434,000 after purchasing an additional 25,156 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 127.0% during the 2nd quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 184,170 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $7,798,000 after buying an additional 103,046 shares during the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 2,450,129 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $122,996,000 after buying an additional 73,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Verizon Communications by 30.6% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 5,718,859 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $287,081,000 after buying an additional 1,339,580 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.48, for a total value of $48,928.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 99,966 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,446,487.68. This represents a 1.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,900 shares of company stock valued at $469,073. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

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

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s upcoming earnings report could provide a near-term catalyst. Analysts expect third-quarter EPS of about $1.27, with investors focused on wireless subscriber additions, churn, service revenue and broadband growth. Strong customer and fiber metrics could support the shares. Verizon Q3 2026 Preview
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s valuation and income appeal remain supportive factors. The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075, equivalent to $2.83 annually and a reported yield of about 6.5%. Institutional ownership also remains substantial, with several major investors recently increasing their positions.
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein maintained a “Hold” rating, reflecting a balanced view ahead of earnings. The consensus analyst stance is also cautious, with most analysts rating the stock Hold despite a consensus price target above the current trading level. Bernstein Remains a Hold on Verizon
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares for approximately $48,928 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale reduced his direct holdings by only about 1.09%, limiting its significance as an indicator of management’s outlook. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: SpaceX’s roughly $8 billion nationwide spectrum purchase is raising concerns that additional satellite-wireless competition could pressure pricing and increase Verizon’s future network investment needs. This has weighed on the broader telecom group ahead of Verizon’s results. Verizon Slides as SpaceX Spectrum Deal Clouds Wireless Pricing
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank trimmed its FY2027 Verizon EPS forecast to $5.25 from $5.26. Although the reduction was modest and remains above the broader $5.03 consensus estimate, it reinforces concerns about limited earnings growth. Verizon analyst estimate update

Verizon Communications Company Profile

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.