Should I Buy VZ? VZ 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Verizon Communications Inc (VZ) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

46.310

1 Day change

-1.68%

52 Week Range

47.580

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/30

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VZ is NOT a good buy right now for an impatient buyer. The stock just surged ~~12% on the QDEC 2025 earnings beat and buyback headline, pushing RSI into extreme overbought territory (~~91) and price up into a key resistance zone (R2 ~44.74). With no Intellectia buy signal, limited near-term upside versus current Wall Street price targets, and evidence of institutional selling (hedge funds), the risk/reward at $44 is unfavorable for entering immediately.

Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals

AI Stock Picker: no signal on given stock today.
SwingMax: No signal on given stock recently.

Technical Analysis

Price action is strongly bullish short-term after an earnings gap-up (close ~$44.07 vs prior ~$39.81), confirming momentum but also indicating a near-term “exhaustion” setup.

Momentum: MACD histogram +0.357 and expanding => bullish momentum intact.
Overbought: RSI(6) ~91 => extreme overbought; odds favor consolidation/pullback rather than immediate continuation.
Levels: Pivot ~41.07 is the key reset/mean area. Near-term support at R1 ~43.34 (now support if it holds). Immediate resistance at R2 ~44.74; price is already pressing this zone, so upside is likely capped without further catalysts.
Moving averages: converging MAs suggest the prior trend was stabilizing; the earnings gap created a sharp extension above the recent mean, increasing pullback risk. Pattern-based outlook provided: positive skew 1-week, but negative 1-month expectation (-6.45%) aligns with “post-earnings fade” risk after an outsized pop.

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Options positioning leans bullish: open interest put/call at 0.72 and volume put/call at 0.23 indicates call-dominant activity (bullish sentiment). Volatility: 30D IV ~20.69 vs HV ~22.41 (IV slightly below realized), with IV percentile ~48 (not stretched). This suggests options are not pricing a huge additional move after the earnings shock, consistent with a likely consolidation rather than another sharp leg up. Volume context: today’s options volume is ~45% of 30-day average, implying the bullish skew is present but not a “panic chase” level of activity.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

QDEC 2025 earnings beat: adjusted EPS $1.09 vs $1.06 est; revenue $36.4B topped expectations.
Subscriber momentum: +616K postpaid phone subs and +372K broadband subs (clear operational upside vs “competition fear” narrative).
Capital return: new $25B share repurchase program supports the stock and floor under pullbacks.
2026 outlook: guided adjusted EPS $4.90–$4.95, reinforcing confidence in earnings power.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Technical overstretch after the ~12% gap: extreme RSI increases near-term downside/consolidation risk.
Crowded “good news” day: much of the beat/buyback optimism appears priced in immediately.
Institutional flow: hedge funds are selling (selling amount up ~510.89% last quarter), which can cap follow-through.
Political flow: Congress trading over last 90 days shows 1 sale and 0 buys (cautious signal).
Industry narrative risk: multiple analysts emphasize heightened competitive intensity in wireless, which can pressure future margins and subscriber economics.

Financial Performance

Latest quarter (QDEC 2025): Verizon delivered adjusted EPS of $1.09 on $36.4B revenue (both above expectations), alongside strong postpaid phone and broadband net adds—this is a genuine operational positive. Prior reported snapshot (2025/Q3): revenue +1.47% YoY to ~$33.821B (low single-digit growth), while net income +49.73% YoY to ~$4.95B and EPS +50% YoY to $1.17 (strong profitability improvement), but gross margin slipped to 47.44% (-1.23% YoY), consistent with the competitive/promotional pressure theme.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent analyst actions trend cautious/neutral: multiple firms reiterated neutral stances while trimming targets.

Wells Fargo (2026-01-26): Equal Weight; PT cut to $41 from $43.
Barclays (2026-01-22): Equal Weight; PT $43.
Bernstein (2026-01-16): Market Perform; PT cut to $44 from $46.
Scotiabank (2026-01-07): Sector Perform; PT cut to $48 from $51. Wall Street “pros” view: earnings resilience, subscriber gains, and buybacks support the stock. Wall Street “cons” view: competitive intensity/promotions persist into 2026 and may limit upside; importantly, today’s ~$44 price is already at/above several key targets ($41–$44), implying limited incremental upside from here without another catalyst.

14 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast VZ stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for VZ is 46.42 USD with a low forecast of 43 USD and a high forecast of 51 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

4 Buy

10 Hold

0 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 47.100

Low

Averages

46.42

High

Current: 47.100

Low

Averages

46.42

High

JPMorgan

Overweight

maintain

$47 -> $49

AI Analysis

2026-02-03

New

Reason

JPMorgan

Price Target

$47 -> $49

AI Analysis

2026-02-03

New

maintain

Overweight

Reason

JPMorgan raised the firm's price target on Verizon to $49 from $47 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm upped estimates citing the company's strong Q4 postpaid phone additions and a better than expected 2026 financial outlook. Verizon CEO Dan Schulman's transformation efforts are already showing results, the analyst tells investors in a research note. JPMorgan also welcomes the company's $25B share buyback.

RBC Capital

Sector Perform

maintain

$44 -> $48

2026-02-03

New

Reason

RBC Capital

Price Target

$44 -> $48

2026-02-03

New

maintain

Sector Perform

Reason

RBC Capital raised the firm's price target on Verizon to $48 from $44 and keeps a Sector Perform rating on the shares after its Q4 earnings beat. Verizon's turnaround vision includes material opex and capex cost-cutting, aiming at higher free cash flow while growing the postpaid subscriber base and returning $25B via share repurchases, the analyst tells investors in a research note.

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VZ Should I Buy

VZ Should I Buy

Should You Buy Verizon Communications Inc (VZ) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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