Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Target Cut by Scotiabank

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) had its target price decreased by research analysts at Scotiabank from $51.50 to $50.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “sector outperform” rating on the cell phone carrier’s stock. Scotiabank’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 7.89% from the company’s previous close.

VZ has been the subject of several other research reports. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Moffett Nathanson cut their price target on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.80.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE VZ opened at $46.34 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. Verizon Communications has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The firm has a market cap of $192.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.07, a PEG ratio of 1.55 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 for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.22 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications will post 5.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.75, for a total transaction of $50,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 102,166 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,674,094.50. The trade was a 1.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 7,700 shares of company stock worth $372,922 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the fourth 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. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 15.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 62,101,021 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,117,471,000 after purchasing an additional 8,289,877 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 14.1% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 41,173,226 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,743,274,000 after purchasing an additional 5,075,794 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 20.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 38,164,982 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,915,882,000 after buying an additional 6,580,820 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 32,734,998 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,643,339,000 after buying an additional 1,972,634 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile formed a joint venture to improve wireless coverage in rural areas and remote travel corridors. The initiative could strengthen emergency communications and support future satellite-to-device connectivity, helping Verizon defend its network position. Verizon joins wireless venture
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon declared its regular quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, equivalent to $2.83 annually and a yield of roughly 6.2%. The income appeal may attract value and dividend-focused investors, particularly after the recent selloff. Verizon dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity included purchases of approximately 131,608 Verizon call options, about 149% above average volume. This suggests speculative bullish interest, but it does not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: SpaceX agreed to acquire a nationwide portfolio of low-band 800 MHz spectrum from Grain Management, pending FCC approval. The spectrum would support a hybrid Starlink Mobile network combining satellite and terrestrial coverage, potentially allowing SpaceX to compete directly with Verizon for wireless customers and reducing the value of carriers’ traditional network advantages. SpaceX spectrum acquisition
• Negative Sentiment: Shares of Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile declined sharply after the SpaceX announcement as investors priced in possible pressure on subscriber growth, pricing power and long-term wireless returns. The competitive risk is strategic and may take time to affect earnings, but it has materially weakened sentiment toward the telecom group. Starlink Mobile spectrum deal
• Negative Sentiment: Higher Treasury yields remain an additional headwind for high-yield telecom stocks because they make bonds relatively more attractive and increase financing costs. Verizon’s debt-to-equity ratio is 1.36, adding to investor sensitivity around leverage and dividend sustainability. Dividend stocks in a higher-rate environment

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company headquartered in New York City and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol VZ. The company was formed in 2000 through the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE and has developed into one of the largest communications providers in the United States.

Verizon’s consumer business provides wireless voice and data services, smartphones and other connected devices, home internet, broadband, and related communications products.