Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) had its target price raised by Barclays from $45.00 to $46.00 in a report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the cell phone carrier’s stock.

VZ has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $54.50 to $51.50 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.97.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $47.35 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $45.40 and a 200 day moving average of $46.29. The stock has a market cap of $197.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.22 EPS. Verizon Communications’s 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 forecast that Verizon Communications will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.70%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,759,000 after purchasing an additional 16,704 shares in the last quarter. United Bank raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 11.5% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $339,000 after buying an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 312.0% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after buying an additional 17,901 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,779,000 after buying an additional 6,034 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.30, ahead of the $1.27 consensus estimate. Lower customer churn, reduced device-subsidy costs, and stronger broadband additions supported expectations for improved earnings and cash flow. VZ Q2 Earnings Call Signals Faster Growth From Churn Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 financial and free-cash-flow outlook after stronger subscriber trends and operating performance. The company’s robust free cash flow also continues to provide substantial coverage for its dividend, supporting Verizon’s appeal to income-focused investors. Is VZ Stock a Buy After Verizon Raises Its 2026 Financial Outlook?
• Positive Sentiment: A wireless subscriber beat, broadband growth, and expanding 5G and fiber services are strengthening Verizon’s longer-term growth profile beyond its traditional wireless business. Verizon Communications Rides a Wireless Subscriber Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s more than $1 billion dark-fiber agreement with Alphabet highlights possible demand from AI infrastructure and data connectivity. Analysts also raised price targets, including TD Cowen to $56 and Scotiabank to $52.50. Verizon May Be an AI Infrastructure Stock Hiding in Plain Sight
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Barclays, and RBC maintained neutral or equal-weight ratings despite raising targets, while several targets remain near the current trading level.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue fell year over year and missed estimates by roughly $1 billion, indicating that cost controls and subscriber gains have not yet translated into broad-based top-line growth. Verizon Structural Problems Persist
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to monitor heavy debt, substantial dividend commitments, competitive pressure, and execution risks associated with Verizon’s fiber and AI investments.

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.