Key Points
- CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 Verizon shares for $53,548 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing his holdings by less than 1% to 109,866 shares.
- Verizon exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $1.30 versus the $1.27 consensus, while revenue fell 0.7% year over year to $34.25 billion. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $4.99–$5.04.
- Verizon’s $0.7075 quarterly dividend implies a $2.83 annual payout and approximately 5.7% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $50.84.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total value of $53,548.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 109,866 shares in the company, valued at $5,348,276.88. The trade was a 0.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Verizon Communications Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $49.28 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $45.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $204.76 billion, a PE ratio of 12.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.25. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68.
Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.22 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Verizon Communications Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.70%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several analysts have issued reports on VZ shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson cut 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $50.84.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on VZ
More Verizon Communications News
Here are the key news stories impacting Verizon Communications this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s fiber strategy is receiving attention following its Frontier acquisition. Greater fiber scale could support broadband growth, improve network economics and strengthen the company’s competitive position. Verizon Communications Leans Into Fiber After the Frontier Close
- Positive Sentiment: Income-focused coverage continues to highlight Verizon’s roughly 6% dividend yield and 20 consecutive years of dividend increases. Analysts note that the payout appears secure, although limited growth remains a consideration for investors. Verizon’s Dividend Looks Secure But Investors Should Keep an Eye on Growth
- Positive Sentiment: A post-earnings review presents Verizon as a potential buy-or-hold candidate for income investors. The company recently exceeded quarterly EPS expectations and maintains fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of approximately $4.99 to $5.04. Verizon Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q2 Earnings?
- Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The small transaction reduces his holdings by less than 1% and is unlikely to materially change the investment outlook.
- Neutral Sentiment: Articles criticizing Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF’s methodology and high-yield “dividend traps” concern other securities and do not directly alter Verizon’s fundamentals.
- Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Verizon’s final appeal of a $47 million FCC fine tied to customer location-data practices. The ruling ends the recovery effort and reinforces regulatory and privacy-compliance risks for the telecom operator. Supreme Court Rejects Verizon Bid to Recover $47M FCC Fine
Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications
A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VZ. RKL Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. Manchester Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.6% during the second quarter. Manchester Financial Inc. now owns 34,924 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,479,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 2,765 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $113,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 32.7% in the first quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 888 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FAS Wealth Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% in the first quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 18,421 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $925,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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