Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Upgraded by Scotiabank to “Sector Outperform” Rating

Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $54.50 target price on the cell phone carrier’s stock, up from their prior target price of $50.25.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price target on Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays began coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.28.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of VZ stock opened at $50.41 on Monday. Verizon Communications has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.41. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $44.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $212.60 billion, a PE ratio of 12.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.30.

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

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

Insider Activity

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $14,761,000 after purchasing an additional 13,787 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,665,000 after purchasing an additional 46,699 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $6,196,000 after purchasing an additional 21,915 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.8% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,667,402 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $161,182,000 after purchasing an additional 99,400 shares during the period. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 378.7% in the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 93,732 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,120,000 after purchasing an additional 74,151 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank upgraded Verizon from “sector perform” to “sector outperform” and raised its price target to $54.50, signaling analyst confidence and providing upside near-term pressure support. Scotiabank upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street note: recent analyst attention and upgrades (cited by 247WallStreet) put Verizon back on analysts’ radars, which can attract flows from institutional investors and help the stock recover. Verizon and ITT Are on Analysts’ Radar
• Neutral Sentiment: Promotion activity tied to the Samsung Galaxy S26 rollout has increased industry-wide handset promotions; this raises competition for new activations and trade-in incentives — a potential margin/headline risk for carriers but not an immediate earnings shock. Samsung Galaxy S26 promotion wars
• Neutral Sentiment: Morning analyst research roundups included Verizon among many names being re-rated; this increases visibility but results will depend on follow-through from funds and whether upgrades translate into buying. Monday’s Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls
• Negative Sentiment: Headline: Zacks flagged a decline in VZ versus a stronger market — reflecting that broader market rotation and negative macro headlines are pressuring the share price despite company fundamentals. Verizon stock sinks as market gains
• Negative Sentiment: Insider/insider-connected selling reported (Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse unloaded shares) can create short-term headline pressure and raises governance/flow questions for some investors. Shares unloaded — Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

Verizon Communications Company Profile

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.