Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Down 2.1% After Insider Selling

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)’s stock price traded down 2.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $43.00 and last traded at $43.6240. 29,844,500 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 10% from the average session volume of 27,218,145 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.54.

Specifically, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.48, for a total transaction of $48,928.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 99,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,446,487.68. The trade was a 1.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on VZ shares. Moffett Nathanson dropped their price target on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.80.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon enters its upcoming earnings release with supportive fundamentals, including strong customer metrics, continued fiber expansion and an attractive valuation. Analysts expect single-digit year-over-year EPS growth, while Verizon’s low P/E ratio may appeal to income- and value-oriented investors. Is Verizon Stock Worth Buying Ahead of Q3 Earnings Release?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Verizon’s third-quarter results, expected in the coming week. The report will be important for assessing wireless subscriber trends, service revenue, margins and management’s outlook after the company previously guided to fiscal 2026 EPS of approximately $4.99-$5.04. What You Need to Know Ahead of Verizon Communications’ Earnings Release
• Negative Sentiment: AT&T’s post-earnings selloff, despite a quarterly beat and raised outlook, is weighing on Verizon and other wireless carriers. The reaction suggests investors may be concerned about sector valuation, growth durability or competitive trends rather than headline earnings alone. AT&T Sinks 5% Despite Q3 Beat and Raised Outlook; Verizon and T-Mobile Drop 3%
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive risks remain elevated. Analysts cite pressure from T-Mobile and AT&T, while Elon Musk’s comments portraying Starlink as a disruptive force in telecom add to investor concerns about future satellite-connectivity competition. Verizon’s substantial debt is another consideration, particularly if interest rates remain restrictive. Elon Musk Says SpaceX’s Starlink Is Rewriting Telecom
• Negative Sentiment: A wireless customer-experience study reported a widening gap between large legacy carriers and smaller challenger brands, reinforcing concerns about customer loyalty, churn and the cost of defending market share. Market Force Information Wireless Benchmark Study

Verizon Communications Stock Down 2.1%

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $47.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $181.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The business had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.16 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.70%.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VZ. Capstone Capital Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter worth about $592,000. Range Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.6% in the third quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 104,036 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,772,000 after purchasing an additional 2,649 shares during the period. Newman Dignan & Sheerar Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% during the third quarter. Newman Dignan & Sheerar Inc. now owns 26,408 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,211,000 after buying an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 21.5% during the third quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 14,860 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $682,000 after buying an additional 2,628 shares during the period. Finally, 55 North Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Verizon Communications by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. 55 North Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,510 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $390,000 after acquiring an additional 596 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and digital connectivity services. Through its consumer business, Verizon offers mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and other connected devices, home internet, fixed wireless access, and fiber-optic broadband services under the Fios brand.

Verizon also serves businesses, government agencies, and other organizations with wireless connectivity, private networks, internet and data services, managed communications, cloud and security solutions, and Internet of Things services.