Zacks Research Has Pessimistic Outlook of VZ FY2025 Earnings

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research lowered their FY2025 earnings estimates for Verizon Communications in a research note issued on Monday, December 22nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the cell phone carrier will post earnings of $4.67 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $4.69. The consensus estimate for Verizon Communications’ current full-year earnings is $4.69 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Verizon Communications’ Q4 2025 earnings at $1.05 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.24 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.16 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.82 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $5.09 EPS.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 EPS.

VZ has been the topic of a number of other reports. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Verizon Communications from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.47.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.8%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $40.25 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.74. Verizon Communications has a fifty-two week low of $37.58 and a fifty-two week high of $47.35. The stock has a market cap of $169.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.60, a PEG ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.33. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $40.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.06.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,759,000 after purchasing an additional 16,704 shares during the period. 1832 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 151,323 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $6,864,000 after buying an additional 6,731 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 548,421 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $24,876,000 after buying an additional 46,965 shares during the period. Quantitative Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth $214,000. Finally, Freedom Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 21.4% in the first quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 28,445 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,290,000 after acquiring an additional 5,006 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, January 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.69 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.97%.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Partnership with Kodiak AI to integrate 5G and IoT into autonomous trucks, positioning Verizon to sell connectivity, edge and data services into freight/autonomous logistics — a potential new enterprise revenue stream. Will Kodiak Collaboration Strengthen Verizon’s Growth Prospects?
• Positive Sentiment: Launched 5G Network Slice Enhanced Internet (capped‑free high uplink speeds) targeting AI, cloud and enterprise apps — product could enable higher‑value enterprise contracts and differentiation vs. other carriers. VZ Introduces 5G Network Slice Solution
• Positive Sentiment: Reported distribution/retention lift after a YouTube TV agreement highlighted as a key retention tool — reducing churn and preserving ARPU is especially valuable in a low‑growth wireless market. A key retention tool: Verizon notches up with YouTube TV deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage action: RBC Capital reiterated a Hold on VZ — a sign of mixed sentiment from institutional analysts rather than a catalyst for a major rating shift. RBC Capital Keeps Their Hold Rating on Verizon (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts project a single‑digit profit decline for the upcoming quarter and caution ahead of the fiscal Q4 earnings release — creates downside risk to the stock if results miss expectations. Here’s What to Expect From Verizon Communications’ Next Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed several near‑term and medium‑term EPS estimates for VZ (Q4 2025/Q4 2026 and FY2025‑FY2027), which increases the chance of downward earnings revisions and weighs on valuation expectations. Zacks cuts and estimate updates on Verizon (MarketBeat summary)

Verizon Communications Company Profile

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.