Verizon stock gains after SunTrust upgrades to buy
Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. are up 0.7% in premarket trading Wednesday after the stock was upgraded to buy from hold at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. “We believe fundamentals are stabilizing, as evidenced by 1Q18 results, and valuation is relatively attractive vs. peers and the broader market,” wrote analyst Greg Miller. He said that Verizon is less exposed than AT&T Inc. to “declining legacy businesses” such as wireline and pay-TV. Miller also wrote that Verizon is following a “disciplined capex strategy,” with plans to spend at similar levels to years past even as it works toward the rollout of 5G. “While we cannot rule out a large, potentially risky M&A event, we think VZ has demonstrated discipline in this regard and continues to be better positioned vs. AT&T, its largest peer, which faces greater headwinds from legacy businesses and M&A risk,” wrote Miller, who has a $58 target price on the stock. Verizon shares are down 6.2% so far this year, compared with a 2.8% drop for the Dow Jones Industrial Average .