Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Trading Down 1.9% – What’s Next?

Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) traded down 1.9% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $47.83 and last traded at $48.0080. 29,292,434 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 21% from the average session volume of 37,040,309 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.93.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks reports Verizon’s Consumer segment is showing healthy momentum, led by strong postpaid phone subscriber growth — a direct driver of revenue and service-margin stability. Verizon Rides on Strength in Consumer Segment: Will it Sustain?
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights Verizon’s recent dividend increase as a shareholder-friendly move that has supported demand for the stock and reinforces income-focused investor interest. Bank of America Tumbles 7% While Verizon, J&J, and Chevron Rally on Dividend Hikes
• Positive Sentiment: An analysis comparing Verizon and Johnson & Johnson frames Verizon’s dividend hike as supportive but notes different durability profiles — useful context for income investors weighing yield vs payout sustainability. Verizon vs Johnson & Johnson: Which Dividend Hike Winner Is the Better Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon will present at the Barclays Communications & Content Symposium on Feb. 24 — an opportunity to reinforce strategy and guidance to investors but not an immediate catalyst. Verizon to speak at Barclays Communications and Content Symposium on February 24
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks notes heightened investor attention around VZ, reflecting interest after recent results and guidance — increased attention can widen intraday moves but doesn’t guarantee direction. Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Negative Sentiment: Yahoo flags a sudden Consumer CEO exit and interim management shift — leadership turnover in a core segment raises execution risk and could slow parts of Verizon’s transformation story. Did Verizon’s Consumer CEO Exit and Interim Shift Just Reframe Its Transformation Story (VZ)?
• Negative Sentiment: TipRanks highlights uncertainty around Verizon’s $55B capital return plan, noting trade-offs between buybacks and dividends and increased execution/risk considerations — investors worried about flexibility or signaling can penalize the stock. Uncertainty Clouds Verizon’s $55 Billion Capital Return Plan
• Negative Sentiment: MarketWatch notes VZ underperformed peers on Wednesday, reflecting sector rotation and investor caution even as company fundamentals show some improvement. Verizon Communications Inc. stock underperforms Wednesday when compared to competitors

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on VZ. Barclays began coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Citigroup upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.25 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.02.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $202.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.85, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $41.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.01.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VZ. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,357,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 31.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 31,584,162 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,286,423,000 after purchasing an additional 7,509,055 shares in the last quarter. 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 valued at $9,080,810,000 after purchasing an additional 7,461,335 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,747,930,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $15,453,058,000 after buying an additional 5,497,598 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

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.