Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Dbs Bank

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) was downgraded by investment analysts at Dbs Bank from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on VZ. Barclays upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.56.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.98 on Tuesday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $49.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.57. Verizon Communications has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68. The stock has a market cap of $202.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.85, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.29.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Old North State Trust LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Old North State Trust LLC now owns 46,962 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,913,000 after buying an additional 770 shares during the period. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth approximately $154,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,807,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 31.6% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,693,602 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $109,710,000 after buying an additional 647,230 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 23.9% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 466,396 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $18,996,000 after acquiring an additional 89,826 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: High dividend and income appeal: Multiple outlets note Verizon’s 5%+ forward yield and recent dividend increases, which support demand from income investors and can underpin the share price even in choppy markets. These Companies Pay 5% Dividend Yields and Are Raising Them Too (Barron’s)
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic tailwinds highlighted by MarketBeat: A recent MarketBeat piece flags Verizon’s defensive cash flow, Frontier fiber expansion, cost cuts and a $25B buyback program — factors that can support earnings growth and buyback-driven share support over time. The War Won’t Last Forever: 3 Stocks That Could Lead the Recovery (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: Advertising disclosure ruling reduces legal overhang: The BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division found Verizon’s pricing disclosures adequate in a T‑Mobile challenge — a procedural win that removes a potential marketing/legal uncertainty but is unlikely to move fundamentals. NAD Finds Verizon Wireless Pricing Disclosures Adequate (GlobeNewswire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst / value recognition: Zacks and other outlets continue to profile VZ as a value/dividend candidate, which keeps the stock on buy-lists for income/value investors — supportive background but not an immediate catalyst. Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Top-Ranked Value Stock (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: DBS Bank downgraded VZ from Buy/Moderate Buy to Hold and set a $52 target, citing limited near-term upside after the stock’s run — a clear near-term headwind that likely knocked shares lower today. DBS Bank Downgrades Verizon (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Recent short-term weakness: Coverage noted a recent intraday/closing pullback (≈‑1.1% on the last session), which can amplify negative momentum after the DBS downgrade. Verizon Stock Drops Despite Market Gains (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder proposals on governance, climate oversight and pay disclosure add proxy-season uncertainty — could draw activist interest or proxy advisory scrutiny, creating near-term pressure or volatility around the annual meeting. Verizon Shareholder Push Raises Questions On Governance (Yahoo Finance)

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.