Key Points
- Joseph Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon at an average price of $44.88 for about $429,905, leaving him with 44,045 shares (a 17.86% reduction in his position).
- Verizon beat Q4 expectations (EPS $1.09 vs $1.06; revenue $36.38B vs $36.20B), set FY2026 guidance of 4.900–4.950 EPS, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (annualized $2.83, roughly a 6.1% yield).
- Analysts are mixed—consensus rating is "Hold" with a $49.02 target—while investors must weigh margin pressures and a potential regulatory/reputational risk after Senator Cantwell flagged withheld security assessment reports tied to "Salt Typhoon."
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) EVP Joseph Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.
Verizon Communications Stock Performance
NYSE VZ opened at $46.34 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $195.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.44, a P/E/G ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $40.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.64. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $47.35.
Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.
Verizon Communications Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. This is a boost from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is 68.15%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
VZ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.25 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane cut shares of Verizon Communications from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $44.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $49.02.
Read Our Latest Research Report on Verizon Communications
Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications
Here are the key news stories impacting Verizon Communications this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages lifted price targets and ratings (Citigroup to $50 with a Buy, Evercore to $50 Outperform, Scotiabank to $50.25, Morgan Stanley/JPMorgan to $49, RBC higher) — bolstering near-term upside expectations. Citigroup PT Raise
- Positive Sentiment: Verizon reported a Q4 beat (EPS $1.09 vs $1.06 est.; revenue ~$36.4B vs ~$36.1B) and posted large wireless subscriber additions — fundamentals that support the rally. InsiderMonkey Q4/Subscriber Adds
- Positive Sentiment: Management actions: a raised quarterly dividend (new yield ~6.4%) plus headlines about cost cuts tied to the Frontier deal and a $25B buyback plan — both increase shareholder return potential. Yahoo Finance: Frontier deal & buyback
- Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and analyst-insight pieces are circulating (Globe and Mail, Zacks, AAII) parsing valuation and whether the Q4 beat merits portfolio re‑positioning — useful reading but not an immediate catalyst. Globe and Mail analyst insights
- Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s stock is moving with the S&P 500 Communications Index — some of today’s move reflects sector flows rather than company-specific news. Kalkine Media
- Negative Sentiment: Senator Maria Cantwell said Verizon (and AT&T) are blocking release of key Salt Typhoon security assessment reports and called for CEOs to testify — this raises regulatory and reputational risk that investors will watch closely. Reuters: Senator on Salt Typhoon
- Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentaries flag margin pressure from heavy 5G and fiber investment, price lock dynamics and the potential for customer losses tied to prior price cuts — factors that could cap multiple expansion. Zacks: Margin pressure
- Negative Sentiment: Some market pieces warn Verizon may encounter technical resistance near recent highs and note CEO comments that prior price cuts hurt customer counts — caution for momentum traders. USA Today: Price cuts cost customers
Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications
Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the second quarter valued at $2,504,150,000. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $9,470,788,000 after purchasing an additional 7,276,809 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 51.1% in the 3rd 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 period. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 21.5% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $915,552,000 after buying an additional 3,743,892 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.
About Verizon Communications
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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