Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Positive Forecast for Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) had its target price lifted by equities researchers at Royal Bank Of Canada from $44.00 to $48.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “sector perform” rating on the cell phone carrier’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 4.04% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on VZ. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.25 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.89.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of VZ stock traded up $1.53 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $46.14. 15,424,734 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 34,657,809. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $40.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $194.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.36, a PEG ratio of 4.15 and a beta of 0.33. Verizon Communications has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $47.35.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The company had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VZ. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,504,150,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,470,788,000 after buying an additional 7,276,809 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $15,453,058,000 after acquiring an additional 5,497,598 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 51.1% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,512,228 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $637,812,000 after purchasing an additional 4,905,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 21.5% in the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $915,552,000 after acquiring an additional 3,743,892 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat Wall Street on both EPS and revenue, and Verizon reported “massive” wireless subscriber additions in Q4 — evidence of improving top-line momentum that supports earnings and free cash flow expectations. Verizon (VZ) Posts Massive Wireless Subscriber Additions in Q4
• Positive Sentiment: Management refreshed the turnaround story around the Frontier deal and flagged cost cuts plus a large share-repurchase program (reported ~$25B), improving shareholder-return prospects and valuation support. Verizon Resets Story With Frontier Deal Cost Cuts And $25b Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon raised its quarterly dividend (to $0.7075) — a ~2.5% increase and a ~6.4% yield — making the stock more attractive to income-focused investors. Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Several brokers lifted price targets (Evercore to $50.00, Scotiabank to $50.25, Morgan Stanley to $49.00), signaling renewed analyst confidence and creating upside narrative for investors. Scotiabank PT Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentators are discussing Verizon’s valuation after the Q4 beat and buyback plans; the stock looks cheaper on forward P/E but investors will watch execution. Valuation After Q4 Beat
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is trading largely in line with the S&P 500 Communications index, so sector flows are also influencing the move. Shares Move With S&P 500 Communications Index
• Negative Sentiment: Reporting indicates price changes have cost Verizon some customers and management acknowledged the impact — a reminder that churn/ARPU dynamics remain a risk to growth. Verizon’s CEO Admits Price Moves Lost Customers
• Negative Sentiment: Not all analyst moves were bullish: Wells Fargo trimmed its PT to $44 (equal-weight), signaling at least one cautious view on near-term upside. Wells Fargo PT Change
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary raises technical/cycle questions about whether current price levels will meet resistance after recent gains. Is This The Top For Verizon?

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE: VZ) is a major U.S.-based telecommunications company that provides a broad range of communications and information services. Its operations span consumer and business markets, with core offerings that include wireless voice and data services, fixed-line broadband and fiber-optic services, and enterprise networking solutions. Verizon is headquartered in New York City and operates a nationwide wireless network that supports consumer subscribers as well as business and government customers.

The company’s consumer products include mobile phone plans, unlimited data services, and Fios, its branded fiber-optic internet, television and voice service for homes and small businesses.