Verizon Communications IncNYSE: VZ
Communication Services · Integrated Telecommunication Services
$48.29
+0.53%
Vol: 25.1M
Research Digest
Friday, May 1, 2026
Verizon beats Q1 2026 earnings, raises full-year guidance, and posts first positive Q1 postpaid adds since 2013
Verizon reported Q1 2026 adjusted EPS of $1.28, beating estimates with 2.9% revenue growth to $34.4B. Company raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to 5.0-6.0% growth and expects postpaid phone net additions in upper half of 750K-1M range. First positive Q1 postpaid adds since 2013 demonstrates strategic turnaround success. Strengthening World Cup 2026 sponsorship with 5G rollout. JPMorgan raised PT to $52, Morgan Stanley to $50. YTD gain of 19.4%, 6-month return of 23.7%.
Previous Market Intelligence
13 daysApr 30Verizon reports first positive Q1 phone subs since 2013 with adjusted EPS beat, raises full-year guidancePositive▶
Verizon added 55,000 net new cellphone customers in Q1 2026, the first positive first-quarter phone net adds since 2013. Adjusted EPS grew to $1.28 (+7.6% YoY), best quarterly growth rate since 2021. Company raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $4.95-$4.99 range, exceeding $4.90 consensus. Strong turnaround under new CEO Dan Schulman reflects benefits from restructuring and cost controls. Stock jumped 3% premarket on results. Morgan Stanley raised PT to $50 from $49. Goldman Sachs and Oppenheimer maintain Buy ratings.
Apr 29Verizon rallies 3% after Q1 earnings beat with EPS of $1.28 vs $1.21 estimate and raised 2026 guidancePositive▶
Verizon reported Q1 2026 EPS of $1.28, beating the $1.21 estimate, with management raising 2026 EPS guidance to $4.95–$4.99 from consensus of $4.90. Added 55,000 postpaid phone subscriptions (first Q1 gain since 2013), 341,000 broadband net additions including 214,000 fixed wireless and 127,000 fiber subscribers. Analyst support is strong with Goldman Sachs, Oppenheimer, and Scotiabank issuing Buy ratings. Median 12-month price target from 11 analysts is $49.0. Dividend yield is 5.8% with P/E ratio of 11.51.
Apr 16Verizon stock down 1.35% on April 16 at $45.42; analyst downgrades to Hold citing limited upside amid high debt levels despite 19% YTD gainsNeutral▶
Verizon Communications demonstrated mixed performance with strong operational metrics offset by valuation concerns. The company achieved 616,000 postpaid phone net additions with over 1 million total quarterly net additions (highest since 2019) and announced major customer experience transformation including new app and upgraded support. Verizon and Frontier received regulatory approvals for their transaction completion. However, analysts downgraded the stock to Hold rating amid high debt levels and limited upside potential. Stock trades at 11.20 P/E and 6.0% dividend yield. April 27 earnings call will feature EPS guidance of $1.23 and revenue of $34.75B.
Apr 14Verizon falls 7.57% in week on analyst downgrades and ESG governance pushbackNegative▶
Declined 9.51% over past month. DBS Bank downgraded to Hold. Governance tensions over ESG-linked pay. Q1 earnings April 27.
Apr 13Erste Group upgrades to Strong Buy; Q1 earnings report April 27; FirstNet $2B expansionNeutral▶
Verizon upgraded to Strong Buy by Erste Group Bank (Apr 2). Company will report Q1 2026 earnings on April 27 at 8:30 a.m. ET. Announced $2 billion FirstNet public safety network expansion. Stock trading at $46.10 with 5.9% dividend yield and P/E of 11.34.
Apr 10Verizon gains analyst downgrade to Hold; Q1 earnings scheduled for April 27.Mixed▶
DBS Bank downgraded Verizon from Moderate Buy to Hold on April 10. Company declared quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share. Completed regulatory approvals for Frontier Communications acquisition with 30 million fiber passings. Q1 2026 earnings will be released April 27.
Apr 9Verizon Shareholder Scrutiny and Leadership Transition UnderwayMixed▶
Consumer division chief Sowmyanarayan Sampath is stepping down as part of new CEO Dan Schulman's turnaround efforts. Shareholders are pushing for enhanced governance and climate oversight, while analysts downgrade to Hold citing limited upside amid high debt levels. No widespread service outages reported.
Apr 8Verizon Q1 earnings April 27; Erste Group upgrades to Buy from Hold.Neutral▶
Verizon will report Q1 2026 earnings on April 27. Analysts expect $1.23 EPS (+3.4% YoY). Erste Group upgraded VZ to Buy from Hold on April 2. Stock at $48.65 (-1.02%). Has topped earnings estimates last 4 quarters. Strong 5.5% dividend yield. Mean target $50.88.
Apr 7Verizon reports Q4 record postpaid phone additions (616K) and schedules Q1 earnings for April 27Positive▶
Verizon reported 1M+ net additions across mobility/broadband with 616K postpaid phone adds (best since 2019) in Q4 2025. 2025 consolidated revenue $138.2B, adjusted EPS $4.71. Company closed Frontier acquisition January 20, adding 30M+ fiber locations. 2026 guidance: 750K-1.0M retail postpaid additions, adjusted EPS $4.90-4.95. Dividend announced at $0.707 with ex-date April 10. Q1 earnings webcast April 27, 8:30am ET. Multiple analyst upgrades: Erste Buy, Barclays $47, Citi $55.
Apr 6Verizon best quarter in 15 years; Barclays upgrades to Buy with $47 PT.Positive▶
Verizon announced best quarter in 15 years. Barclays upgraded to Buy from Hold, PT $47 from $43. Declared $0.707 dividend ex-date April 10. Stock up 24% YTD with 5.5% dividend yield. Raising Netflix/HBO Max bundle from free to $10/month.
Apr 3Barclays raised Verizon's price target to $47 and Erste Group upgraded the stock to Buy on strong dividend positioning.Positive▶
Verizon announced a cash dividend of $0.707 with ex-date of April 10, maintaining its position as a high-dividend-yield stock at 5.5%. Barclays raised price target from $43 to $47, and Erste Group upgraded from Hold to Buy. The company serves 94M postpaid and 20M prepaid customers. Verizon ratified labor contract extensions with CWA District 1. Stock declined 1.61% in the past 24 hours trading at $49.39.
Apr 1Verizon settled major Fractus patent dispute, raised dividend 2.4% to $0.7075/share, and announced Q1 earnings April 27.Positive▶
Verizon resolved patent infringement dispute with Fractus over IoT antenna technology. Declared quarterly dividend increase of 2.4% to $0.7075/share ($2.83 annualized, 5.6% yield). Q4 2025 EPS of $1.09 beat $1.06 estimate. Citi raised PT to $55 from $50 (Buy); Barclays raised to $47 from $43 (Equal Weight). Company posted 18 consecutive quarters wireless service revenue growth. Stock up 25.64% YTD.
Mar 31Verizon Q1 earnings April 27; Citi raised PT to $55; Frontier acquisition moving forward.Neutral▶
Verizon Q1 2026 earnings April 27. Citi raised PT to $55 from $50. Resolved Fractus patent dispute. 5.6% dividend yield. Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader for private mobile networks. Stock at $50.24 up 1.33% for month.
Sector Peers
| Company | Price | Day | 1M | Fwd P/E | Beta | Mkt Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VZVERIZON | $48.29 | +0.53% | -2.3% | 9.1x | 0.27 | $200.6B |
| TAT+T | $26.23 | +0.36% | -7.7% | 10.2x | 0.54 | $181.6B |
| GOOGLALPHABET | $385.59 | +0.21% | +28.3% | 28.4x | 1.13 | $4.66T |
| GOOGALPHABET | $382.99 | +0.27% | +28.3% | 28.2x | 1.13 | $4.62T |
| METAMETA | $609.01 | -0.47% | +6.8% | 16.9x | 1.31 | $1.55T |
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Price between 50d and 200d. Testing 50d support.