Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Down 1.4% – What’s Next?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) shares traded down 1.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $46.26 and last traded at $46.5720. 24,162,691 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 21% from the average session volume of 30,758,133 shares. The stock had previously closed at $47.24.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 surprise and subscriber momentum — Verizon reported an EPS beat and posted first-quarter postpaid phone subscriber gains, which investors view as evidence the turnaround is gaining traction; that momentum is being cited in valuation write-ups and helped lift sentiment. A Look At Verizon (VZ) Valuation After Strong Q1 Earnings And Subscriber Turnaround
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target bump — JPMorgan raised its VZ price target from $49 to $52 (while keeping a neutral rating), signaling incremental upside in analyst expectations and providing a short-term technical catalyst. JPMorgan raises VZ price target
• Positive Sentiment: Partner/network recognition — Verizon’s partner Cydcor won Verizon’s 2025 ACD Wireless Agent of the Year award, reinforcing channel strength and sales execution at the retail/agent level. Cydcor Earns Verizon’s 2025 ACD Wireless Agent of the Year Award
• Neutral Sentiment: Trending attention / retail interest — Zacks and other outlets note increased user interest in VZ; trending status can boost volume and volatility but is not a guarantee of sustained direction. Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Adjacency to growth markets — Verizon is listed among players in industry reports (e.g., video telematics), indicating optionality beyond consumer wireless if execution in enterprise/commercial products scales. North America and Europe Video Telematics Market Research Report 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure from T‑Mobile — comparisons and service/perk analyses highlight T‑Mobile’s strengths and its broadband expansion, which could pressure pricing and share in both wireless and home broadband segments. T-Mobile vs. Verizon: Which Big Phone Carrier Works Best for You?
• Negative Sentiment: T‑Mobile’s broadband blitz — T‑Mobile’s capital-efficient push into broadband is described as a direct challenge to incumbents and could create longer-term margin and market-share pressure for Verizon. T-Mobile’s Broadband Blitz Puts Cable on Notice (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: Debt and income-investor risk — commentary (e.g., The Motley Fool) flags rising leverage after the Frontier acquisition as a potential “time bomb” for income investors, which could limit upside multiple expansion and increase sensitivity to interest rates. The Ticking Time Bomb That Could Force Income Investors to Sell Verizon Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Minor analyst EPS trim — Erste Group slightly cut FY2027 EPS estimates for Verizon, a small reminder that forecasts remain sensitive to revenue mix and legacy/merger-related costs. Erste Group trims VZ FY2027 EPS estimate

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VZ shares. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price 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. Evercore upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, January 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.64. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $48.94 and its 200-day moving average is $44.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $201.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.75, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.25.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications 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 in the company, valued at $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after purchasing an additional 7,461,335 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,747,930,000 after buying an additional 5,851,715 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,168,080,000 after buying an additional 867,694 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth about $2,357,158,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.