Zacks Research Has Positive Outlook for VZ FY2026 Earnings

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) - Zacks Research raised their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Verizon Communications in a note issued to investors on Monday, January 13th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the cell phone carrier will earn $4.78 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $4.74. The consensus estimate for Verizon Communications' current full-year earnings is $4.60 per share.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Citigroup increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. TD Cowen raised Verizon Communications to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com downgraded Verizon Communications from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $46.54.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of VZ traded up $0.52 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $38.86. 23,984,543 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 23,492,979. Verizon Communications has a 52 week low of $37.58 and a 52 week high of $45.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company's 50 day moving average is $41.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.71. The company has a market capitalization of $163.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.75, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.46.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The cell phone carrier reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.01. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 7.30%. The business had revenue of $33.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.22 EPS. The business's revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VZ. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 69.6% in the fourth quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 780 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 137.6% in the third quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 777 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the third quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, IFS Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 244.1% in the fourth quarter. IFS Advisors LLC now owns 1,115 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 791 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th will be paid a $0.6775 dividend. This represents a $2.71 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is 116.81%.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and governmental entities worldwide. It operates in two segments, Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business).