Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Raised to $50.00 at Morgan Stanley

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) had its target price boosted by Morgan Stanley from $49.00 to $50.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the cell phone carrier’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target indicates a potential upside of 5.90% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.41.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE VZ traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $47.21. 4,933,681 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 30,522,385. The company has a market capitalization of $197.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.29. Verizon Communications has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $49.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.90.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.79 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications will post 4.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VZ. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 16,704 shares in the last quarter. United Bank lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 11.5% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 312.0% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 17,901 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 17.2% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,779,000 after purchasing an additional 6,034 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.2% during the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat and guidance raise — Verizon reported $1.28 EPS vs. $1.21 expected and updated FY26 EPS guidance to $4.95–4.99, signaling stronger profitability and underpinning the stock rally. Verizon lifts annual profit forecast after surprise rise in wireless subscribers (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Subscriber turnaround — Verizon posted its first positive Q1 postpaid phone adds since 2013 and materially lower churn, which investors view as proof its pricing/retention strategy is working and will support higher-margin growth. Verizon Stock Jumps After Earnings (Barron’s)
• Positive Sentiment: Record profitability and capital returns — Verizon delivered record adjusted EBITDA and expanded margins, executed ~$2.5B of buybacks in Q1, and reiterated a strong dividend policy, supporting both income and total-return narratives. Verizon Q1 Earnings Dip—A Buying Opportunity for VZ Stock? (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: AI and enterprise opportunity — Management said it’s in advanced talks with hyperscalers and cloud providers to monetize 5G/fiber for AI infrastructure, a potential multi‑billion-dollar upside that could diversify revenue. Verizon lifts profit guidance after solid Q1 (ProActive Investors)
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue miss explained — Q1 revenue came in slightly below estimates ($34.44B vs. ~$34.8B consensus) largely due to one-time customer credits tied to a January outage; management says underlying trends are healthier. Verizon stock: why are investors ignoring Q1 revenue miss (Invezz)
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and customer engagement — Verizon is running consumer programs (e.g., World Cup ticket promotions) that boost brand and ARPU potential but are unlikely to move fundamentals materially in the near term. How to win free tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final with Verizon (GlobeNewswire)
• Negative Sentiment: Higher leverage from recent M&A — Net debt metrics rose after the Frontier deal (management targets gradual deleveraging), which keeps capital allocation and credit risk on investors’ watchlists. Verizon Q1 Earnings Dip—A Buying Opportunity for VZ Stock? (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Emerging competitive threats — FCC approval for AST SpaceMobile’s direct‑to‑device service (with major backers) highlights a potential new competitive vector in space-based connectivity that could pressure future pricing/coverage dynamics in certain markets. AST SpaceMobile Gets FCC Green Light (MarketBeat)

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.