Zacks Research Has Optimistic Outlook of VZ Q1 Earnings

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for Verizon Communications in a report issued on Monday, April 7th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the cell phone carrier will earn $1.13 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.12. The consensus estimate for Verizon Communications’ current full-year earnings is $4.69 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Verizon Communications’ FY2025 earnings at $4.65 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.20 EPS and Q3 2026 earnings at $1.14 EPS.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.01). Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 12.99%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.08 EPS.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on VZ. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $45.00 price objective (up from $42.00) on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $48.50 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Verizon Communications from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. DZ Bank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Verizon Communications from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $48.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.92.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of VZ stock opened at $43.68 on Thursday. Verizon Communications has a fifty-two week low of $37.59 and a fifty-two week high of $47.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $43.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.63. The company has a market cap of $183.88 billion, a PE ratio of 10.55, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.41.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Wilson & Boucher Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 9.4% during the third quarter. Wilson & Boucher Capital Management LLC now owns 11,657 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $524,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Financial Avengers Inc. increased its position in Verizon Communications by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Avengers Inc. now owns 69,076 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $3,102,000 after buying an additional 4,926 shares in the last quarter. Chiron Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,106,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 15.1% in the third quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC now owns 10,868 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $488,000 after acquiring an additional 1,428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.3% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 258,954 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $11,630,000 after acquiring an additional 3,229 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Vandana Venkatesh sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.79, for a total transaction of $437,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $633,159.61. This trade represents a 40.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kyle Malady sold 11,085 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.88, for a total value of $453,154.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,590 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $596,439.20. This trade represents a 43.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 49,085 shares of company stock valued at $2,020,895. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a $0.6775 dividend. This represents a $2.71 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.20%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 65.46%.

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).