Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Reaches New 12-Month Low – Should You Sell?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $10.60 and last traded at $40.5550, with a volume of 28088428 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $40.13.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Institutional and analyst support — Large fund buying and recent buy ratings/prices targets from major firms signal conviction from professional investors, which can underpin the stock. QuiverQuant notes big Q3-position increases from UBS, BlackRock and others and several recent buy ratings and $44–$51 analyst targets. Verizon Communications Stock (VZ) Opinions on Job Cuts and Earnings Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: High dividend yield and cash-flow profile — Coverage highlights Verizon’s ~7% yield and strong cash flow forecasts, making the stock attractive to income-focused investors, especially if interest rates ease. Here’s My Top High-Yield Dividend Stock to Buy in January
• Positive Sentiment: Macro tailwind possibility — A Fed governor publicly pushing for sizable rate cuts this year raises the prospect of lower rates, which tends to benefit high-dividend, low-volatility stocks like Verizon. Fed Governor Wants Huge Rate Cuts This Year: 5 High-Yield Dividend Stocks to Buy Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Growth initiatives under watch — Coverage on Verizon’s Event Perks loyalty efforts and industrial IoT push flags potential incremental revenue/enterprise opportunities; impact depends on execution and scale. Should Verizon’s Event Perks and Industrial IoT Push Require Action From Verizon Communications (VZ) Investors?
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed value proposition — Analysts and commentators note mixed recent returns but argue the stock may offer value given steady cash flow; view depends on whether investors prioritize yield vs. growth. Is Verizon (VZ) Offering Value After Mixed Returns And Strong Cash Flow Forecasts?
• Negative Sentiment: Job cuts and social-media criticism — Reports of large-scale layoffs (thousands) and online concern about service quality and dividend sustainability create short-term investor uncertainty and reputational risk; restructuring can also trigger near-term charges even if it improves margins later. Verizon Communications Stock (VZ) Opinions on Job Cuts and Earnings Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Upcoming earnings/Risk of guidance disappointments — Market attention ahead of the Jan 30 report raises the chance of volatility if Verizon’s revenue or guidance misses expectations. Zacks notes the stock recently outpaced the market intraday, but earnings execution remains the primary near-term catalyst. Why Verizon Communications (VZ) Outpaced the Stock Market Today

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VZ has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Verizon Communications from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. BNP Paribas Exane cut 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. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.50 to $51.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.47.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 1.1%

The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.90. The stock has a market cap of $171.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.34.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.02. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 14.43%.The company had revenue of $33.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.19 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.69 per share. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VZ. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 0.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 373,904,749 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,433,114,000 after buying an additional 1,117,733 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 7,276,809 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 100,326,792 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,322,700,000 after acquiring an additional 1,101,504 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,504,150,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 45,265,695 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,989,427,000 after acquiring an additional 557,576 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

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.