Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Receives $50.59 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $50.5938.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VZ shares. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $46.43 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $193.89 billion, a PE ratio of 11.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.24. Verizon Communications has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $46.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.86.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Verizon Communications will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VZ. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% in the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the period. Robinswood Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.