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Verizon Communications (VZ) Dips More Than Broader Markets: What You Should Know

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In the latest trading session, Verizon Communications (VZ - Free Report) closed at $36.54, marking a -0.38% move from the previous day. This move lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.15%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.28%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 3.16%.

Coming into today, shares of the largest U.S. cellphone carrier had lost 8.32% in the past month. In that same time, the Computer and Technology sector lost 3.13%, while the S&P 500 lost 5.39%.

Verizon Communications will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.20, down 11.11% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $33.94 billion, up 1.15% from the year-ago period.

VZ's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $4.74 per share and revenue of $138.14 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of -8.49% and +0.95%, respectively.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Verizon Communications. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection remained stagnant. Verizon Communications is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Verizon Communications has a Forward P/E ratio of 7.75 right now. This valuation marks a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 23.44.

Investors should also note that VZ has a PEG ratio of 1.87 right now. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The Wireless National was holding an average PEG ratio of 1.87 at yesterday's closing price.

The Wireless National industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 202, putting it in the bottom 20% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.


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