Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-one ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $50.0938.

VZ has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 target price for the company. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their target price on Verizon Communications from $54.50 to $51.50 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE:VZ opened at $43.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $181.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.63, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $45.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.07. Verizon Communications has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.02%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VZ. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 490.0% in the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the period. Robinswood Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the first quarter worth $27,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is moving to sell 274 company-owned retail stores to franchisees and cut roughly 3,000 jobs, a restructuring that could lower operating costs and improve margins over time. Reuters: Verizon to shed 274 stores, lay off another 500 corporate employees
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction has been favorable to the cost-reset story, with articles noting VZ rose as investors responded to the store shakeup and expense reduction plans. Yahoo Finance: VZ Stock Rises — Verizon Moves To Slash Costs With Major Store Shakeup
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its FY2026 earnings estimate for Verizon and kept a Hold rating, suggesting only modest near-term earnings improvement. MarketBeat analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is expected to report earnings on Friday, which keeps investors focused on whether the restructuring and broadband growth can offset slower revenue trends. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (VZ) to Post Earnings on Friday
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts are cautioning that Verizon already trades at a premium relative to peers, which could limit upside if earnings growth disappoints. Trefis: VZ Earns Its Premium Over Peers. Now What?
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank also lowered its price target to $51.50, reflecting some skepticism about the pace of Verizon’s improvement. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Lowered to $51.50 at Scotiabank

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.