Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Trading Down 1.1% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) traded down 1.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $45.09 and last traded at $46.3790. 36,034,570 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 24% from the average session volume of 29,126,939 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.88.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is supporting communities affected by Washington wildfires by waiving calling, texting, and data charges through August 31 for consumer, small-business, and prepaid customers. The company also deployed a connectivity vehicle, reinforcing Verizon’s network reliability and customer-service reputation, although the direct financial benefit is likely limited. Verizon Helps Families Stay Connected During Washington Wildfires
• Neutral Sentiment: Some telecom executives have argued that satellite services are unlikely to materially disrupt their core businesses because terrestrial networks offer greater capacity and reliability in populated areas. However, Starlink’s existing infrastructure could make it a meaningful competitor in rural locations, during outages, and for customers seeking nationwide coverage. SpaceX’s Starlink Threat Sends Telecom Stocks Lower Premarket
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon continues to attract attention for network expansion and growth within the communications sector, but the available report provides no specific new financial guidance or operating update. Why Is Verizon Watching Network Growth in the S&P 500?
• Negative Sentiment: SpaceX executives said Starlink Mobile intends to win customers from Verizon and other major carriers, and the planned 2027 launch adds a longer-term competitive risk to Verizon’s wireless business. The news triggered weakness across wireless stocks as investors weighed potential effects on market share, pricing, and subscriber growth. Verizon Faces a New Threat as SpaceX Plans a Mobile Network

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VZ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Moffett Nathanson reduced their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.84.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 1.1%

The business’s fifty day moving average is $45.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.60. The company has a market cap of $192.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.22 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were issued a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 73.70%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. RKL Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,338 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 2,765 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 32.7% in the first quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 888 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% in the first quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 18,421 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $925,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 35,023 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,426,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.