Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 4.900-4.950 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 4.790. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.43.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ traded up $4.71 during trading on Friday, reaching $44.52. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 123,119,068 shares, compared to its average volume of 34,242,641. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.55. The company has a market cap of $187.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.51, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Verizon Communications has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $47.35.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 14.43%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be issued a $0.69 dividend. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 12th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.97%.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: VZ beat Q4 estimates on both EPS and revenue and gave bullish 2026 profit & FCF guidance, which is the main catalyst lifting the stock as investors favor earnings beats and clearer growth visibility. Reuters: Verizon forecasts upbeat annual profit
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon reported its highest quarterly wireless subscriber additions since 2019 (strong postpaid net adds and broadband/fiber densification drove revenue growth), supporting the upbeat guidance and giving investors confidence in customer momentum. GlobeNewswire: Verizon delivers on 2025 guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Market and press coverage highlights the beat + subscriber strength, which amplifies buying interest from income and value investors given VZ’s high dividend yield. ProactiveInvestors: Verizon beats Q4 estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed heavy call buying (well above average daily volume), signaling that some traders are positioning for further upside after the print. (Market options data entry)
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon emphasized network resilience (mobile assets, backup power, crisis teams) for winter storms — a credit to reliability that can support retention and long-term ARPU improvements. Zacks: VZ enhances network resilience
• Neutral Sentiment: The full Q4 earnings call transcript and slide deck provide detail on margin dynamics, expense drivers (including fiber build costs) and capital allocation — useful for investors modelling 2026. Seeking Alpha: Q4 2025 earnings call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Macroeconomic/newsflow items (e.g., a new Fed Chair appointment) are moving markets broadly today and may be amplifying volatility; these are directional factors rather than company-specific drivers. Zacks: Pre-market in Red (Fed Chair news)
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo recently cut its price target on VZ as part of a wireless-sector reassessment, which could limit near-term upside from some institutional investors. MSN: Wells Fargo cuts Verizon target
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing debate over dividend sustainability and yield safety (coverage highlighting a ~7% yield) keeps some income investors cautious despite the beat — a potential constraint on rerating without sustained cash-flow proof. 24/7 Wall St.: Verizon dividend safety
• Negative Sentiment: Small institutional selling was reported (Alpha Cubed trimmed its stake), a minor signal but not a material shift in ownership. DefenseWorld: Alpha Cubed lessened VZ stake

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 61.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,759,000 after buying an additional 16,704 shares during the period. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,603 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $812,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Voya Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Voya Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 21,161 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $895,000 after acquiring an additional 1,112 shares during the period. Polymer Capital Management HK LTD purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $745,000. Finally, Abel Hall LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 10.6% during the third quarter. Abel Hall LLC now owns 12,960 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $570,000 after purchasing an additional 1,243 shares during 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.