Key Takeaways for Verizon Communications Stock as of July 2026
- 8 buys and 3 outperforms face off against 15 holds on Verizon stock, with the $52 mean target implying 21% upside from $43.
- With realization modeled for December 2030, TIKR’s mid case prices Verizon stock at $69, a 61% total return and an 11% annualized rate from today’s $43 close.
- Adjusted EBITDA margin hit 39% last quarter, up 140 basis points, leaving Verizon stock undervalued against an unpriced cost turnaround.
- The June 29 BT joint venture handed Verizon $625 million in cash.
Verizon Stock Posts Its First Positive Q1 Net Adds in 13 Years
Verizon Communications (VZ) turned in its strongest cost performance in years on April 21, when the carrier reported consolidated adjusted EBITDA of $13.40 billion for the first quarter, up 6.7% year over year and its highest quarterly total on record. That result pushed adjusted EBITDA margin to 38.9%, a 140 basis point jump, and gave management enough conviction to raise full year adjusted EPS guidance to 5% to 6% from a prior 4% to 5%.
The margin expansion arrived alongside the company’s first positive first quarter for postpaid phone net adds since 2013, with 55,000 added against a base that lost customers a year earlier. Consumer postpaid phone churn fell to 0.90% for the quarter and slipped further, below 0.85% by March.
CFO Tony Skiadas tied that improvement directly to the cost transformation program on the Q1 earnings call: “Consolidated adjusted EBITDA was $13.4 billion, a 6.7% increase in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA margin of 38.9% expanded by 140 basis points. This represents our highest ever reported adjusted EBITDA performance, and we expect it to be an industry-leading result.” That performance keeps Verizon on pace toward its $5 billion operating expense savings target for 2026, funded largely by network decommissioning, lower advertising spend and a 35% drop in acquisition and retention costs since the end of last year.
Even so, the stock has struggled to hold those gains. Verizon fell 7.8% on June 29 after Comcast’s plan to spin off NBCUniversal reignited competitive fears across telecom, the same week Alphabet replaced Verizon in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Days later, Verizon agreed to fold its international enterprise business into a 50:50 joint venture with BT Group, collecting a $625 million equalization payment while shedding a shrinking, low margin unit ahead of its July 24 second quarter report.
Wall Street Still Rates Verizon Stock a Hold Despite the Turnaround
Coverage on Verizon stock leans cautious, with 15 hold ratings against 8 buys and 3 outperforms and zero sell or underperform calls as of July 13, 2026. The mean target price of $52 sits 21% above the current $43 print, while the median target of $51 shows less optimism than the top of the range. Targets span from a low of $43, in line with where the stock trades today, to a high of $71, a spread that reflects how differently analysts are weighing the cost transformation program’s staying power.
That dispersion has widened since the June 29 BT joint venture, which the Street is still working through.
Wall Street Sees Verizon Stock’s EBITDA Growth Accelerating Through 2026
Analysts model consolidated adjusted EBITDA rising to $13.67 billion in the second quarter of 2026, a 7% increase from a year earlier and a step up from the $13.40 billion Verizon posted in the first quarter.
That growth continues into the back half of the year. Consensus estimates put third quarter EBITDA at $13.72 billion, up 7% year over year, with margin holding near 39%.
By the fourth quarter, estimates call for EBITDA growth of 8% year over year even as the dollar figure dips to $12.80 billion on seasonal patterns, before the growth rate cools to 3% in both the first and second quarters of 2027 as EBITDA reaches $13.82 billion and $14.05 billion.
Bulls point to margin holding above 39% through mid-2027 as proof the cost program is structural, not seasonal. Bears counter that year over year EBITDA growth slows from 8% at the end of 2026 to just 3% by mid-2027 as Frontier synergies mature and easy comparisons fade.
TIKR Values Verizon Stock at $69, Pricing In the Cost Turnaround
TIKR’s mid case model prices Verizon stock at $69 by December 2030, a 61% total return and 11% annualized gain from the current price of $43.
That 61% projected return implies Wall Street’s $52 mean target, only 21% above today’s price, is capturing roughly a third of the upside TIKR’s model sees over the same window, positioning Verizon stock among the more mispriced turnaround stories in large cap telecom.
The target is reachable because the cost transformation program is already showing up in the numbers: adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 140 basis points to 38.9% in the first quarter, churn fell below 0.85% by March, and the $5 billion 2026 OpEx savings target remains on track.
As that operating leverage compounds through 2027, alongside the $625 million cash infusion from the BT joint venture and a resumed buyback program, Verizon stock’s earnings power is set to outrun what the Street currently has priced in.
Explore the data behind Verizon stock’s $69 target and 61% projected return on TIKR for free →
Should You Invest in Verizon Communications Inc.?
The only way to really know is to look at the numbers yourself. TIKR gives you free access to the same institutional-quality financial data that professional analysts use to answer exactly that question.
Pull up Verizon Communications Inc. stock and you’ll see years of historical financials, what Wall Street analysts expect for revenue and earnings in the quarters ahead, how valuation multiples have moved over time, and whether price targets are trending up or down.
You can build a free watchlist to track Verizon Communications Inc. alongside every other stock on your radar. No credit card required. Just the data you need to decide for yourself.
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Disclaimer:
Please note that the articles on TIKR are not intended to serve as investment or financial advice from TIKR or our content team, nor are they recommendations to buy or sell any stocks. We create our content based on TIKR Terminal’s investment data and analysts’ estimates. Our analysis might not include recent company news or important updates. TIKR has no position in any stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading, and happy investing!
