BNP Paribas Exane Has Lowered Expectations for Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price

Posted by Stanley Muller on Oct 27th, 2026

Verizon Communications logo Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) had its price objective reduced by investment analysts at BNP Paribas Exane from $46.00 to $45.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday. BNP Paribas Exane‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 2.85% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on VZ. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on 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 target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.00 to $47.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Daiwa Securities Group decreased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $55.00 to $52.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $55.00 to $53.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.89.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ traded up $0.65 on Tuesday, hitting $43.75. 9,446,300 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 27,369,229. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $47.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. Verizon Communications has a one year low of $38.68 and a one year high of $51.68. The firm has a market cap of $181.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 26th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.21 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.48, for a total transaction of $48,928.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,446,487.68. The trade was a 1.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,900 shares of company stock valued at $469,073. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gill Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 74.6% during the second quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 620 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. Robinswood Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 37.4% in the second quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 841 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. Balance Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 32.7% during the 1st quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 888 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: Strong subscriber growth and cash generation support the investment case. Verizon added 406,000 postpaid phone subscribers—its best third-quarter result in five years—and 314,000 broadband customers. Third-quarter free cash flow reached $7.8 billion, while broadband revenue hit a record. Verizon: This 6% Telecom Yield Is Still On Sale
Positive Sentiment: Verizon beat earnings expectations and raised its outlook. Adjusted third-quarter EPS was $1.31 versus the $1.27 consensus, and management increased its full-year 2026 expectations for adjusted EPS, postpaid phone additions and free cash flow. The company also signed an agreement worth more than $2 billion with Amazon Web Services to support AI infrastructure and data-center connectivity. Verizon Raises 2026 Outlook After Strong Postpaid Subscriber Growth
Positive Sentiment: Some investors view the valuation and dividend as attractive. Commentary highlighted Verizon’s strong cash flow, dividend support and low forward earnings multiple, which could provide downside protection if the company maintains its operational momentum.
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed. TD Cowen maintained a “buy” rating while reducing its price target to $55. Morgan Stanley and Barclays also lowered their targets and retained “equal weight” ratings, reflecting uncertainty about Verizon’s growth rate. Verizon Analysts Cut Their Forecasts Following Q3 Earnings
Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed expectations, overshadowing the earnings beat. Third-quarter revenue rose 1.5% year over year to $34.31 billion, below the $34.77 billion consensus. Investors appear more focused on Verizon’s limited top-line growth and slower phone upgrades than on improved margins and subscriber additions. Verizon Analysts Cut Their Forecasts Following Q3 Earnings
Negative Sentiment: SpaceX and Starlink are emerging competitive concerns. Verizon’s CEO said satellite partnerships could complement its network but rejected allowing SpaceX to use Verizon’s infrastructure to compete directly for wireless customers. Although management believes SpaceX may be years away from becoming a major rival, the possibility adds pressure to the outlook. Verizon CEO Open to Working With Elon Musk’s Starlink

Verizon Communications Company Profile

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Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and digital connectivity services. Through its consumer business, Verizon offers mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and other connected devices, home internet, fixed wireless access, and fiber-optic broadband services under the Fios brand.

Verizon also serves businesses, government agencies, and other organizations with wireless connectivity, private networks, internet and data services, managed communications, cloud and security solutions, and Internet of Things services.