Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Holdings Lifted by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 48.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 254,655 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 83,088 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $10,372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $14,761,000 after buying an additional 13,787 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $13,521,000 after purchasing an additional 17,495 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 14.0% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $16,665,000 after buying an additional 46,699 shares in the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $3,184,000 after purchasing an additional 14,862 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 18.4% in the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $6,196,000 after buying an additional 21,915 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VZ has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price target on Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.41.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $47.22 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $197.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $48.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.95. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.79 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. Verizon Communications’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.95 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 69.02%.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and guidance raise — Adjusted EPS of $1.28 topped estimates, GAAP EPS and net income rose year‑over‑year, Verizon reported record adjusted EBITDA and raised FY26 EPS guidance, supporting upside sentiment. Verizon CEO Claims Turnaround Is Officially Underway
• Positive Sentiment: Subscriber momentum — Promotions produced about 55k net wireless additions (first positive Q1 postpaid adds since 2013), helping lift outlook and investor confidence in churn/ARPU trends. Verizon’s promos lead to 55K new wireless subscribers; raises FY26 profit guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Large AI/hyperscaler opportunity — Management said it’s in advanced talks to monetize fiber and 5G for AI infrastructure with hyperscalers and cloud providers, a potential multi‑billion revenue stream if deals materialize. Verizon eyes multi-billion dollar AI opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst reactions mixed but supportive — Morgan Stanley nudged its price target higher (to $50) maintaining constructive tone; other shops kept neutral/equal‑weight views. Analyst target moves
• Neutral Sentiment: Customer perks and bundling — New streaming discounts and FIFA ticket promotions are demand/retention plays that support churn control and bundling, but are unlikely to move near‑term results materially. Verizon’s Streaming Deals Let You Watch Netflix, Disney Plus and More, for Less
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue narrowly missed estimates — Q1 revenue of ~$34.4B came in slightly below consensus, tempering some of the bullish reaction and leaving questions on top‑line traction. VZ Q1 Deep Dive: Customer Retention and Efficiency Drive Operating Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure — Strong results from peers (T‑Mobile, Comcast’s mobile push) keep the wireless market competitive and could pressure ARPU and future net adds if promos escalate. T-Mobile Stock Rises on Earnings Beat
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downside signal — Wells Fargo’s price target raise still sits below the current share price, a reminder some analysts see limited near‑term upside. Wells Fargo price target note

About Verizon Communications

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.