Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Shares Down 2.5% – Time to Sell?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)’s stock price was down 2.5% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $46.17 and last traded at $46.4660. Approximately 32,425,447 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 18% from the average daily volume of 27,434,910 shares. The stock had previously closed at $47.68.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong free-cash-flow growth: Verizon’s second-quarter free cash flow reportedly increased 24.4%, supported by cost savings and network investments. The improvement has encouraged expectations for stronger 2026 growth and supports the company’s dividend and debt-management capacity. Verizon Delivers Strong Free Cash Flow Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Optical-network expansion: Verizon reached an agreement with Corning to purchase more than 80 million fiber miles through 2032, supporting backhaul modernization and longer-term network capacity. The deal could improve infrastructure efficiency, although it also represents ongoing capital spending. Meta Platforms’ Petal Cable Puts Corning at the Center of AI’s Bandwidth Boom
• Positive Sentiment: Visible marketing partnership: Verizon’s Visible brand is teaming with Learfield to reach college sports fans at USC, Oregon, Minnesota and Rutgers. The initiative may increase brand visibility and customer acquisition, but its near-term financial impact is likely limited. Learfield and Visible Team Up
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational and valuation backdrop: Verizon trades at a relatively modest earnings multiple and offers exposure to recurring wireless revenue, but its latest reported quarterly revenue declined year over year despite an earnings beat. Analysts’ outlook therefore remains dependent on subscriber trends, cost control and capital intensity.
• Negative Sentiment: Fiber cut disrupted air-traffic data: A contractor accidentally cut a Verizon fiber cable in New Jersey, interrupting a backup data feed used by air-traffic controllers and contributing to widespread flight delays in the Northeast. Although service was restored and the incident was not described as a cyberattack, it raises concerns about network resilience, operational oversight and potential reputational or regulatory consequences. Verizon Says Contractor Cut Fiber Cable

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on VZ. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Moffett Nathanson cut their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 20th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.97.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 2.5%

The firm has a market cap of $193.06 billion, a PE ratio of 12.10, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.50.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.98, for a total transaction of $54,978.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 106,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,326,168.68. The trade was a 1.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,400 shares of company stock valued at $219,142. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after purchasing an additional 7,461,335 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,168,080,000 after purchasing an additional 867,694 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 15.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 62,101,021 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $3,117,471,000 after purchasing an additional 8,289,877 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,357,158,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 20.8% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 38,164,982 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,915,882,000 after buying an additional 6,580,820 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and related technology services. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, 5G connectivity, fixed wireless access, fiber-optic internet through Verizon Fios, home services, and connected-device solutions.

Through Verizon Business, the company serves enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations with communications networks, managed connectivity, cybersecurity, cloud and edge-computing services, unified communications, and Internet of Things solutions.