VEON (NASDAQ:VEON) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ:VEON) shares gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $53.18, but opened at $62.86. VEON shares last traded at $55.00, with a volume of 257,857 shares traded.

Key Stories Impacting VEON

Here are the key news stories impacting VEON this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jazz International Holding (VEON subsidiary) has agreed to buy a controlling stake in TPL Insurance for ~PKR 4.15bn (~USD 14.6m). TPL is an AA‑rated, digital-first InsurTech (PKR 5.7bn gross written premium, ~277k policies) — the deal accelerates cross-sell into JazzCash and Mobilink Bank and expands VEON’s addressable digital‑financial market in Pakistan. VEON and JazzWorld Advance Pakistan’s Digital Financial Future with Acquisition of TPL Insurance
• Neutral Sentiment: VEON is also active on partnerships and innovation (MoUs with Rakuten Symphony/Beeline Uzbekistan and a GSMA co-funding pact for Pakistani tech startups), which support longer‑term product development and ecosystem build-out but are less likely to drive immediate revenue. Veon and GSMA Sign MoU to Co-Fund Tech Start-Ups in Pakistan
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/trading context: intraday volume is well above average and the stock sits modestly above its 50- and 200‑day moving averages, which can amplify positive market reaction in the short term.
• Negative Sentiment: Key risks remain: the transaction requires Competition Commission of Pakistan clearance and VEON disclosed that some TPL figures are from preliminary unaudited accounts. Regulatory, audit and integration risks could delay or reduce the expected benefits. VEON Ltd. Subsidiary Acquires Controlling Stake in TPL Insurance to Enhance Digital Financial Services in Pakistan

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VEON has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded VEON from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of VEON in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of VEON from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.00.

VEON Stock Up 1.5%

The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.45. The stock has a market cap of $3.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.14 and a beta of 1.59. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $52.73.

VEON declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Monday, November 17th that allows the company to buyback 0 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the Wireless communications provider to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of VEON

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lingotto Investment Management LLP raised its position in shares of VEON by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Lingotto Investment Management LLP now owns 6,060,852 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $318,619,000 after buying an additional 16,758 shares in the last quarter. Shah Capital Management increased its stake in VEON by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Shah Capital Management now owns 4,895,252 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $257,343,000 after acquiring an additional 70,831 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in VEON by 66.5% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 977,400 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $51,382,000 after acquiring an additional 390,294 shares in the last quarter. Solus Alternative Asset Management LP lifted its position in shares of VEON by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Solus Alternative Asset Management LP now owns 887,002 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $46,630,000 after acquiring an additional 30,900 shares during the period. Finally, Panview Capital Ltd lifted its position in shares of VEON by 24.7% during the 4th quarter. Panview Capital Ltd now owns 514,927 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $27,070,000 after acquiring an additional 101,906 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 21.30% of the company’s stock.

VEON Company Profile

VEON Ltd (NASDAQ: VEON) is a global telecommunications and digital services provider headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Originally founded as VimpelCom in Russia in 1992, the company rebranded to VEON in 2017 to reflect its transformation into a technology-driven operator. VEON operates as a holding company with direct investments in mobile and internet service providers across multiple emerging markets, delivering voice, data and digital services to individual and enterprise customers.

Through its operating subsidiaries, VEON offers a broad portfolio that includes 2G/3G/4G mobile access, fixed broadband, digital lifestyle applications and mobile financial services.