Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Trading 1.9% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) shares shot up 1.9% on Tuesday after TD Cowen raised their price target on the stock from $54.00 to $56.00. TD Cowen currently has a buy rating on the stock. Verizon Communications traded as high as $49.01 and last traded at $48.2270. Approximately 29,602,075 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 1% from the average daily volume of 29,171,410 shares. The stock had previously closed at $47.32.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on VZ. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday. Scotiabank upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.84.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Improved operating trends and guidance: Verizon’s second-quarter results showed better-than-expected EPS, lower customer churn, reduced promotional costs and solid broadband subscriber growth. Management raised its 2026 financial and free-cash-flow outlook, suggesting improved earnings quality and cash-generation potential. VZ Q2 Earnings Call Signals Faster Growth From Churn Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support increased: At least six analysts raised their price targets following the earnings report. TD Cowen lifted its target to $56 with a Buy rating, while Scotiabank raised its target to $52.50 and maintained a Sector Outperform rating. These revisions reinforce the view that Verizon’s operational momentum may continue. VZ Stock Is Up 22% This Year: How Much More Upside Does Wall Street See?
• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure opportunity: Verizon signed an agreement valued at roughly $1 billion with Google/Alphabet involving dark-fiber connectivity. Investors view the deal, along with Verizon’s AI Connect initiative, as a potential source of future revenue and margin growth beyond traditional wireless services. A $1 Billion Reason to Buy Verizon Stock Now After Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Income appeal remains intact: Commentary highlighted Verizon’s strong free cash flow, dividend coverage of more than 200%, expanding EBITDA margins and potential for debt reduction and buybacks, supporting its appeal to value and income investors. Verizon: Deep Value For Income Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed valuation signals: Morgan Stanley raised its target to $52 but kept an Equal Weight rating. RBC, Wells Fargo and Barclays also raised targets, but their revised targets remain below or close to the current trading level, indicating that some analysts see limited near-term upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and competition remain risks: Verizon must sustain subscriber gains while managing competitive pricing, heavy network investment and the execution risks associated with fiber expansion and new AI-related services. The company’s latest quarterly revenue was also below analysts’ expectations and declined slightly year over year.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Econ Financial Services Corp boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,184,000 after buying an additional 14,862 shares during the last quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 713,156 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $35,790,000 after buying an additional 31,354 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 2,197,366 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $89,499,000 after acquiring an additional 639,380 shares during the last quarter. Clarity Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 697.0% in the 4th quarter. Clarity Financial LLC now owns 471,127 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $19,189,000 after acquiring an additional 412,018 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 2,382,975 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $97,059,000 after acquiring an additional 316,854 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $45.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market cap of $201.37 billion, a PE ratio of 12.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The firm had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue 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, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 73.70%.

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.