Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Trading Up 3% on Analyst Upgrade

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) traded up 3% during mid-day trading on Thursday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $49.00 to $52.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Verizon Communications traded as high as $48.05 and last traded at $48.0110. 34,375,974 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 12% from the average session volume of 30,797,299 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.61.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on VZ. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results showed an EPS beat and operating momentum (postpaid phone subscriber gains, profitability/cash-flow strength) and management raised FY26 profit guidance — the core driver of the bullish reaction. VZ Q1 Deep Dive: Customer Retention and Efficiency Drive Operating Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target from $49 to $52 (maintaining a Neutral rating), signaling incremental analyst confidence and giving the stock further upside narrative. JPMorgan raises Verizon price target
• Positive Sentiment: Promotional activity appears to be working: Verizon gained ~55k new wireless subscribers from promotions and lifted FY26 profit guidance, supporting the revenue/profit trajectory underpinning the rally. Verizon’s promos lead to 55K new wireless subscribers; raises FY26 profit guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly trimmed its FY2027 EPS forecast (from $5.28 to $5.26) but still holds a Strong-Buy view — a modest analyst revision that isn’t materially changing the story. MarketBeat – Verizon analyst note
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry hires and partner recognition (e.g., OXIO appointment of a former Verizon exec; Cydcor award) are notable for the competitive and partner ecosystem but have limited direct near-term impact on VZ stock. OXIO Appoints Former Verizon Executive Jeremy Bolton Cydcor Earns Verizon’s 2025 ACD Wireless Agent of the Year Award
• Negative Sentiment: Debt concerns following the Frontier acquisition and related commentary have resurfaced as a downside risk for income-focused investors — higher leverage could pressure the dividend outlook or ratings if free cash flow weakens. The Ticking Time Bomb That Could Force Income Investors to Sell Verizon Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure from carriers like T?Mobile (which posted a strong quarter) and Comcast’s growing mobile footprint remain headwinds for share gains and pricing. T-Mobile Stock Rises on Earnings Beat

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $14,761,000 after acquiring an additional 13,787 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $13,521,000 after acquiring an additional 17,495 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 14.0% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,665,000 after purchasing an additional 46,699 shares in the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp increased its position in Verizon Communications by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,184,000 after purchasing an additional 14,862 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 18.4% during the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $6,196,000 after purchasing an additional 21,915 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 3.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $48.96 and its 200-day moving average is $43.97. The company has a market cap of $200.69 billion, a PE ratio of 11.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.29.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.95 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 69.02%.

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.