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Daiwa Upgrades Verizon (VZ) as Subscriber Growth Signals Strong Momentum

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is included among the 14 Best Low Volatility Dividend Stocks to Invest in.

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On February 19, Daiwa upgraded Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) to Buy from Outperform. The firm also raised its price target to $58 from $48. The analyst pointed to the company’s fourth-quarter performance, which showed clear momentum. Verizon reported “stellar” Q4 metrics, including 616,000 postpaid phone net additions. That marked its strongest quarterly result since 2019, according to the research note. The firm believes this trend can continue. It sees the “strong” customer additions in Q4 as sustainable into 2026. Daiwa also highlighted Verizon’s current valuation, which it considers low relative to its outlook. Based on that, the analyst said the stock offers the best risk/reward opportunity in the telecom sector.

During Verizon’s Q4 2025 earnings call, CEO Daniel Schulman spoke about the company’s ongoing transformation. He described it as a broad turnaround effort built on decisive and meaningful changes. A key part of that process involves restructuring the organization, including resizing the workforce, reducing headcount, and eliminating operational overlap. He said these steps are expected to create an in-year OpEx savings pool of $5 billion. Much of the savings will come from workforce reductions. The company also expects gains from more efficient marketing, reduced real estate use, renegotiated contracts, and other cost-cutting efforts.

Schulman also confirmed that Verizon had completed its Frontier acquisition. This expanded the company’s fiber footprint to more than 30 million fiber passings. He said Verizon plans to add at least 2 million more this year. Over the medium term, the company is targeting a total footprint of 40 million to 50 million fiber passings. He added that Verizon now expects to generate more than $1 billion in run-rate operating cost synergies by 2028. That figure is twice the original estimate, reflecting stronger expected benefits from the integration.

In addition, Schulman said Verizon had renewed its MVNO partnership with Comcast and Charter. He described the agreement as financially beneficial and said it would ensure their customers continue operating on Verizon’s network.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) operates as a holding company. Through its subsidiaries, it provides communications, technology, information, and streaming services to consumers, businesses, and government customers.

While we acknowledge the potential of VZ to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than VZ and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 13 Best NASDAQ Dividend Stocks to Buy Now and 14 Best Warren Buffett Dividend Stocks to Buy

Disclosure: None.

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