Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Shares Up 1.2% – Should You Buy?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)’s stock price traded up 1.2% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $50.82 and last traded at $50.5770. 15,474,185 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 44% from the average session volume of 27,428,912 shares. The stock had previously closed at $49.97.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s $20 billion Frontier acquisition is helping accelerate service-revenue growth, with growth expected to exceed 3% year over year in the second half of 2026. Broadband additions, mobile-and-fiber convergence, and lower customer churn support the company’s growth outlook. Verizon Firing On All Cylinders – Focus On Service Convergence
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s iPhone 18 Pro launch offers include annual upgrades, trade-in savings of up to $1,200, waived activation and upgrade fees, and incentives for new switchers. The promotions could support subscriber additions, device upgrades, and customer retention. Switch to Verizon and get the new iPhone 18 Pro now
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Verizon’s 5G, broadband, and fiber expansion, relatively low valuation, and approximately 5%–6% dividend yield as reasons for favoring VZ over higher-growth but more speculative satellite-related investments. Verizon vs. SpaceX: Which Stock Has Better Growth Prospects?
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon kept its quarterly dividend at $0.7075 per share, or $2.83 annualized. The roughly 5.7% yield remains attractive for income investors, although the unchanged payout provides no new dividend-growth catalyst. Verizon Communications Keeps Quarterly Dividend at $0.7075
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s agreement to purchase more than 80 million miles of Corning optical fiber through 2032 supports broadband expansion and AI data-center connectivity, but the associated investment may limit near-term financial benefits. Corning Just Locked In a Massive Verizon Fiber Deal
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon is removing its price-lock guarantee from myPlan, a move that could increase pricing flexibility but risks customer dissatisfaction in a competitive wireless market. Verizon scales back a price-lock perk
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold $54,978 of VZ stock under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The relatively small sale is not a major fundamental signal, but repeated insider selling can create modest investor caution. Verizon Communications CEO Sells Stock

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Barclays lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Moffett Nathanson dropped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.97.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.51. The company has a market capitalization of $210.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%.The business had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.22 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.6%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.70%.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.98, for a total transaction of $54,978.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 106,566 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,326,168.68. The trade was a 1.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,400 shares of company stock valued at $219,142. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised 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. United Bank boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 11.5% in the second quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 312.0% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 17,901 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,779,000 after purchasing an additional 6,034 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and related technology services. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, 5G connectivity, fixed wireless access, fiber-optic internet through Verizon Fios, home services, and connected-device solutions.

Through Verizon Business, the company serves enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations with communications networks, managed connectivity, cybersecurity, cloud and edge-computing services, unified communications, and Internet of Things solutions.