Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Target Cut by Citigroup

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) had its target price reduced by analysts at Citigroup from $55.00 to $53.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday. Citigroup‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 21.13% from the stock’s current price.

VZ has been the topic of a number of other reports. Moffett Nathanson reduced their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 20th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. BNP Paribas Exane decreased 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. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $50.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.89.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

NYSE VZ traded up $0.65 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $43.75. The company had a trading volume of 9,446,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 27,369,229. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $47.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.65. The company has a market capitalization of $181.78 billion, a PE ratio of 11.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. Verizon Communications has a twelve month low of $38.68 and a twelve month high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 26th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.77 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%. Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.48, for a total value of $48,928.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 99,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,446,487.68. This represents a 1.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,900 shares of company stock worth $469,073. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VZ. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Verizon Communications by 15.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 62,101,021 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,117,471,000 after acquiring an additional 8,289,877 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 20.8% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 38,164,982 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,915,882,000 after purchasing an additional 6,580,820 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 14.1% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 41,173,226 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,743,274,000 after purchasing an additional 5,075,794 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 6.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 32,734,998 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,643,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,972,634 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 6.7% during the second quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 20,882,074 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $884,147,000 after purchasing an additional 1,305,471 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong subscriber growth and cash generation support the investment case. Verizon added 406,000 postpaid phone subscribers—its best third-quarter result in five years—and 314,000 broadband customers. Third-quarter free cash flow reached $7.8 billion, while broadband revenue hit a record. Verizon: This 6% Telecom Yield Is Still On Sale
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon beat earnings expectations and raised its outlook. Adjusted third-quarter EPS was $1.31 versus the $1.27 consensus, and management increased its full-year 2026 expectations for adjusted EPS, postpaid phone additions and free cash flow. The company also signed an agreement worth more than $2 billion with Amazon Web Services to support AI infrastructure and data-center connectivity. Verizon Raises 2026 Outlook After Strong Postpaid Subscriber Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Some investors view the valuation and dividend as attractive. Commentary highlighted Verizon’s strong cash flow, dividend support and low forward earnings multiple, which could provide downside protection if the company maintains its operational momentum.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed. TD Cowen maintained a “buy” rating while reducing its price target to $55. Morgan Stanley and Barclays also lowered their targets and retained “equal weight” ratings, reflecting uncertainty about Verizon’s growth rate. Verizon Analysts Cut Their Forecasts Following Q3 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations, overshadowing the earnings beat. Third-quarter revenue rose 1.5% year over year to $34.31 billion, below the $34.77 billion consensus. Investors appear more focused on Verizon’s limited top-line growth and slower phone upgrades than on improved margins and subscriber additions. Verizon Analysts Cut Their Forecasts Following Q3 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: SpaceX and Starlink are emerging competitive concerns. Verizon’s CEO said satellite partnerships could complement its network but rejected allowing SpaceX to use Verizon’s infrastructure to compete directly for wireless customers. Although management believes SpaceX may be years away from becoming a major rival, the possibility adds pressure to the outlook. Verizon CEO Open to Working With Elon Musk’s Starlink

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.