Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $50.5938.

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their price objective 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. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lam Group Inc. bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the first quarter worth $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the third quarter worth $29,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $47.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. Verizon Communications has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $47.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.07. The company has a market capitalization of $199.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications’s revenue for the quarter 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, analysts forecast that Verizon Communications will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.