Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Shares Down 1.4% – Here’s What Happened

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)’s share price was down 1.4% during trading on Friday. The stock traded as low as $43.43 and last traded at $44.5860. 51,051,723 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 87% from the average daily volume of 27,309,467 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.20.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s approximately 6.5% dividend yield and $0.7075 quarterly payout remain attractive to income-oriented investors. The company’s dividend is supported by recurring telecom cash flows, although its payout ratio is relatively high. AT&T Froze Its Dividend After a 2022 Cut
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon reports third-quarter earnings on October 26, with analysts expecting roughly $1.27 EPS. Investors will focus on wireless subscriber additions, churn, service revenue, broadband growth and management’s outlook. Strong operating metrics could offset broader competitive concerns. Verizon Q3 2026 Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi estimates SpaceX’s national wireless service is unlikely to launch before 2029, but reported efforts to secure access to as many as 80,000 U.S. cell sites—and SpaceX’s roughly $8 billion spectrum deal—have raised questions about whether the timetable could move forward. Starlink Is Years Away From Competing With AT&T and Verizon
• Negative Sentiment: SpaceX’s reported negotiations with tower companies imply a potential fourth nationwide wireless competitor. Investors fear Starlink could pressure Verizon’s pricing, customer growth and returns on its network investments; the news also contributed to weakness across major wireless carriers while tower stocks benefited. SpaceX Just Made Cell Towers Cool Again
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank made a minor reduction to its FY2027 EPS forecast, lowering it to $5.25 from $5.26. The small adjustment is not significant by itself, but it reinforces the cautious analyst backdrop ahead of earnings. Verizon analyst estimate
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares for approximately $48,928 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction was only about 1.09% of his holdings, limiting its significance, but repeated planned sales may add modest negative sentiment. SEC insider transaction filing

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Moffett Nathanson lowered their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 20th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their target price 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. Barclays raised their target price 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.80.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 1.4%

The firm has a market cap of $185.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.61, 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. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $47.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.65.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%. The firm had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.22 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 99,966 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,446,487.68. The trade was a 1.09% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 quarter, insiders have sold 9,900 shares of company stock worth $469,073. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC now owns 3,568 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,338 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Manchester Financial Inc. now owns 34,924 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,479,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 32.7% during 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. Finally, FAS Wealth Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 18,421 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $925,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.