Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for VZ Earnings

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research reduced their Q4 2025 earnings per share estimates for Verizon Communications in a research note issued on Tuesday, May 13th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the cell phone carrier will post earnings of $1.10 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.11. The consensus estimate for Verizon Communications’ current full-year earnings is $4.69 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Verizon Communications’ Q2 2026 earnings at $1.22 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.24 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.85 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on VZ. Argus raised Verizon Communications to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Evercore ISI upgraded Verizon Communications from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $48.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. DZ Bank upgraded Verizon Communications from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.41.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $43.41 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Verizon Communications has a fifty-two week low of $37.59 and a fifty-two week high of $47.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $43.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.01. The firm has a market cap of $183.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.49, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.39.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The cell phone carrier reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 12.99%. The company had revenue of $33.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.31 billion.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a $0.6775 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.71 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.24%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.52%.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.48, for a total value of $212,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,508 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,550,859.84. This represents a 12.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Vandana Venkatesh sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.79, for a total value of $437,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $633,159.61. The trade was a 40.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 31,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,376,300. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 48,058 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,922,000 after buying an additional 3,676 shares during the last quarter. Breakwater Capital Group boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 44.2% in the 4th quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 8,669 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $347,000 after buying an additional 2,656 shares during the last quarter. 626 Financial LLC boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. 626 Financial LLC now owns 6,487 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 1,551 shares during the last quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 11,656 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pines Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at $209,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications Company Profile

Verizon Communications Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and governmental entities worldwide. It operates in two segments, Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business).