Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Shares Down 1.2% – Should You Sell?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) traded down 1.2% on Monday . The company traded as low as $47.33 and last traded at $47.5490. 17,669,640 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 42% from the average session volume of 30,569,264 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.11.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on VZ. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Dbs Bank cut shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $48.94 and its 200-day moving average is $44.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $198.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.60, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,944,459 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $248,212,000 after purchasing an additional 42,946 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 42,631 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,960,000 after purchasing an additional 6,268 shares in the last quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $235,000. Tevis Investment Management acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,109,000. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its position in Verizon Communications by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 2,544,470 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $127,732,000 after acquiring an additional 73,218 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.