Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Raised to $52.50

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) had its price target lifted by Scotiabank from $51.50 to $52.50 in a report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. Scotiabank currently has a sector outperform rating on the cell phone carrier’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.84.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 2.0%

VZ stock opened at $47.21 on Monday. Verizon Communications has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The company has a market cap of $197.11 billion, a PE ratio of 12.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 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, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 earnings per share. The business’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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 73.70%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

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

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s second-quarter results showed adjusted earnings of $1.30 per share, ahead of the $1.27 consensus, while profit increased year over year. The stock also remains inexpensive relative to communications peers, trading at a low forward earnings multiple and offering a dividend yield above 6%. Verizon After Earnings: Cheap Stock or Value Trap?
• Positive Sentiment: Bain Capital and Tillman Global Holdings announced a $1.5 billion investment in Eaton Fiber, intended to fund Ripple Fiber’s acquisition and accelerate Verizon’s fiber broadband expansion across the United States. The investment could support Verizon’s fixed-wireless and fiber growth without representing a direct funding burden for Verizon. Bain Capital and Tillman Global Holdings Announce $1.5 Billion Investment in Eaton Fiber
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised several price targets, including TD Cowen’s increase to $56 and Morgan Stanley’s increase to $52. Recent commentary also points to improved subscriber growth, lower churn, bundling gains, and potential future revenue from AI infrastructure and data-center connectivity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s earnings beat was tempered by revenue of $34.25 billion, below the $35.16 billion consensus, with revenue down year over year. Analysts remain divided over whether the stock’s discount reflects attractive value or persistent growth concerns. With a 6% Yield, Is Verizon Stock a Buy as Turnaround Continues?
• Negative Sentiment: The immediate pressure came from reports that SpaceX is exploring urban-grade wireless spectrum through acquisitions or a potential federal auction bid. Investors fear a direct satellite-to-mobile competitor could challenge Verizon’s pricing power, customer retention, and market share, weighing on major U.S. wireless carriers. AT&T and Verizon Tumble as Musk’s SpaceX Plots Direct Mobile Threat

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.