909,545 Shares in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Purchased by Wilsey Asset Management Inc.

Wilsey Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 909,545 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $37,046,000. Verizon Communications makes up approximately 5.8% of Wilsey Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of VZ. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 373,904,749 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,433,114,000 after buying an additional 1,117,733 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,470,788,000 after acquiring an additional 7,276,809 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications in the second quarter valued at $2,504,150,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 45,265,695 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,989,427,000 after purchasing an additional 557,576 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,188,066 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,238,866,000 after purchasing an additional 1,203,445 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 over the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More Verizon Communications News

Here are the key news stories impacting Verizon Communications this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target on VZ to $55 and initiated/maintained a “buy” stance, signaling analyst conviction and providing upside guidance that likely supported buying interest earlier in the session. Citigroup raises VZ price target to $55
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a piece highlighting Verizon as a “strong momentum stock” using its style scores, which can attract momentum and quant-focused buyers. Here’s Why Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative coverage (AT&T vs. Verizon) discusses 5G and fiber growth and valuation differences — useful for investors evaluating sector allocation and relative upside but not a direct catalyst. AT&T vs. Verizon: Which Telecom Stock Has Better Upside Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also published an AT&T vs. Verizon comparison with similar takeaways on network investment and valuation trade-offs — helpful context for longer-term positioning. AT&T vs. Verizon: Which Telecom Stock Has Better Upside Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor-focused reviews and primers (e.g., The Motley Fool) reiterate VZ’s scale, heavy capex and leverage profile — factors that support stable cash flow and dividends but cap upside for some investors. Verizon Stock in 2026: What Every Investor Needs to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of a new dividend-focused ETF and broader yield plays is peripheral but can influence income-seeking flows into telecom stocks like VZ. You Already Own SCHD. This New ETF Pays Twice the Yield With One Simple Swap
• Negative Sentiment: UBS moved VZ to a “hold,” a more cautious stance that can temper upside and weigh on sentiment among more conservative institutional holders. Verizon (VZ) Gets a Hold from UBS
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks noted a recent intraday decline in VZ’s share price in prior sessions, a reminder that short-term volatility has been present despite recent analyst support. Verizon Communications (VZ) Declines More Than Market

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VZ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays started coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Evercore increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. William Blair raised Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.32.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ opened at $50.08 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.67. The stock has a market cap of $211.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.37, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company has a 50-day moving average of $46.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.04.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The business had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

Verizon Communications Profile

Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE: VZ) is a major U.S.-based telecommunications company that provides a broad range of communications and information services. Its operations span consumer and business markets, with core offerings that include wireless voice and data services, fixed-line broadband and fiber-optic services, and enterprise networking solutions. Verizon is headquartered in New York City and operates a nationwide wireless network that supports consumer subscribers as well as business and government customers.

The company’s consumer products include mobile phone plans, unlimited data services, and Fios, its branded fiber-optic internet, television and voice service for homes and small businesses.