Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Trading Down 2.5% – Here’s Why

Posted by George Bondi on Sep 24th, 2026

Verizon Communications logo Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report)’s share price traded down 2.5% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $46.17 and last traded at $46.4660. 32,425,447 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 18% from the average session volume of 27,434,910 shares. The stock had previously closed at $47.68.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

Positive Sentiment: Verizon expanded its premium device lineup with new Motorola foldable smartphones and wearables. Discounts for Simplicity customers and trade-in savings of up to $1,100 could support device sales, customer retention and wireless-service promotions. Verizon expands premium lineup
Positive Sentiment: An analyst reiterated a Buy view with a $57 price target, citing lower churn, fiber and broadband expansion, Frontier integration and AI Connect as potential earnings-growth drivers. The analyst also views VZ as discounted relative to the telecommunications sector. Verizon fiber, lower churn and AI Connect
Positive Sentiment: Verizon launched a $70 million nationwide AI-skills initiative with partners including Goodwill, IBM, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and OpenAI. The program may strengthen Verizon’s technology-oriented brand and business relationships, although its direct near-term financial benefit is likely limited. Verizon AI training effort
Neutral Sentiment: Verizon declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075, equivalent to $2.83 annually and a yield of roughly 6.1%. The income support is attractive, but the high payout ratio and rising interest rates may limit valuation expansion.
Neutral Sentiment: Verizon could be a leading bidder in the 2027 spectrum auction and may spend up to $20 billion. Additional spectrum could support 5G and 6G growth, but the potential capital outlay raises balance-sheet and returns-on-investment concerns. Verizon spectrum auction outlook
Negative Sentiment: The 10-year Treasury yield surged above 5%, renewing concerns about additional Federal Reserve tightening. Higher rates can pressure high-yield telecom valuations and make Verizon’s dividend less comparatively attractive.
Negative Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction reduced his direct holdings by about 1%, so it is a limited signal, but repeated insider sales may weigh modestly on sentiment. Verizon executive stock sale filing
Negative Sentiment: Verizon is seeking approval to discontinue a legacy landline service in nine states. Although the move could reduce costs, regulatory scrutiny and customer disruption create near-term risks. Verizon landline service proposal

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on VZ shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.97.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $196.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.33, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $48.07 and its 200-day moving average is $47.43.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%.The firm’s revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 73.70%.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.65, for a total value of $52,415.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 104,366 shares in the company, valued at $4,973,039.90. This represents a 1.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 5,500 shares of company stock valued at $271,557 over the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VZ. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after acquiring an additional 7,461,335 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,168,080,000 after buying an additional 867,694 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 15.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 62,101,021 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $3,117,471,000 after purchasing an additional 8,289,877 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,357,158,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 20.8% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 38,164,982 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,915,882,000 after buying an additional 6,580,820 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Verizon Communications

(Get Free Report)

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and related technology services. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, 5G connectivity, fixed wireless access, fiber-optic internet through Verizon Fios, home services, and connected-device solutions.

Through Verizon Business, the company serves enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations with communications networks, managed connectivity, cybersecurity, cloud and edge-computing services, unified communications, and Internet of Things solutions.