Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Shares Climb 1.7% – Here’s What Happened

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)’s share price traded up 1.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday. The company traded as high as $47.77 and last traded at $47.2930. 20,805,695 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 24% from the average daily volume of 27,364,420 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.52.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon expanded its premium product lineup with Motorola foldable smartphones and wearables. Discounts for Simplicity customers and trade-in savings of up to $1,100 could support device sales, customer retention and wireless-plan upgrades. Verizon expands premium lineup with new Motorola foldable phones and wearables
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst maintained a Buy view and set a $57 price target, citing lower churn, fiber and broadband expansion, the Frontier transaction and AI Connect as potential earnings drivers. The analyst also viewed VZ as inexpensive relative to the telecom sector. Verizon: Fiber, Lower Churn, And AI Connect Support My Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon launched a $70 million nationwide AI-skills initiative with partners including IBM, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and OpenAI. The program is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings, but it could strengthen Verizon’s technology positioning and brand. Verizon to invest $70 million in AI training effort
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is preparing generators, mobile assets and response teams for Tropical Storm Nolo in Hawaii after completing Hurricane Lowell recovery work. The effort protects network reliability, although storm-related costs and potential outages remain risks. Verizon prepares network for Tropical Storm Nolo
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares through a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing his direct ownership by about 1%. The small, scheduled transaction is generally a limited signal for investors. Verizon executive stock sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Rising Treasury yields are reducing the relative appeal of high-yield telecom stocks such as Verizon and could increase the company’s borrowing costs. Three dividend stocks that can still work despite 5% 10-year yield
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon is seeking approval to discontinue legacy landline service in nine states. Although the move could lower costs, regulatory scrutiny and customer disruption may weigh on sentiment. Verizon plans to discontinue a phone service

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on VZ. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Moffett Nathanson dropped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.97.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 1.7%

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $48.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $47.43. 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 company has a market cap of $196.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.22 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 73.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.65, for a total value of $52,415.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 104,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,973,039.90. The trade was a 1.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 5,500 shares of company stock worth $271,557. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. USS Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 31,354 shares during the period. Cornerstone Capital Inc. grew its position in Verizon Communications by 8.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Capital Inc. now owns 317,284 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $13,434,000 after purchasing an additional 25,156 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 316,854 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 127.0% in the second quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 184,170 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $7,798,000 after buying an additional 103,046 shares during the period. Finally, CPC Advisors LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 76.4% during the first quarter. CPC Advisors LLC now owns 123,287 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $6,189,000 after acquiring an additional 53,405 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Company Profile

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and related technology services. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, 5G connectivity, fixed wireless access, fiber-optic internet through Verizon Fios, home services, and connected-device solutions.

Through Verizon Business, the company serves enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations with communications networks, managed connectivity, cybersecurity, cloud and edge-computing services, unified communications, and Internet of Things solutions.