Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Trading Up 2.1% – What’s Next?

Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) were up 2.1% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $47.79 and last traded at $47.7650. Approximately 22,364,218 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 24% from the average daily volume of 29,294,217 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.76.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced preliminary shareholder voting results from its 2026 annual meeting, with shareholders electing all nine board nominees and approving management proposals, signaling solid governance support and no signs of major shareholder unrest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company said California SBDC named Verizon its Corporate Small Business Champion of the Year, highlighting Verizon’s small-business support and community profile, which can reinforce the brand and customer loyalty narrative. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive, with commentary pointing to Verizon’s strong dividend outlook, improving earnings momentum, and the ability to manage debt after the Frontier acquisition while still supporting buybacks. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon also rolled out customer-facing promotions, including a large FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket giveaway and the launch of the motorola razr 2026 on its lineup, both of which support subscriber engagement and marketing momentum. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed Verizon as a top-ranked momentum or value-focused telecom stock versus peers, which may help sentiment but does not represent a new company-specific catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry pieces on private 5G, satellite telecom, and the SpaceX IPO filing may support the long-term wireless narrative, but they are broader sector stories rather than direct Verizon-specific news. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon’s ongoing debt management remains a watch point after the Frontier deal, and the planned redemption of debt securities underscores that leverage is still part of the story even as the company works to pay it down. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on VZ shares. Barclays upped 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 note on Tuesday, March 31st. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Evercore upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.9%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $48.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $201.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.24.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VZ. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $14,761,000 after purchasing an additional 13,787 shares during the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $13,521,000 after purchasing an additional 17,495 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 14.0% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $16,665,000 after purchasing an additional 46,699 shares during the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 14,862 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 18.4% during the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $6,196,000 after purchasing an additional 21,915 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.