Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Purchased by State Street Corp

State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,461,335 shares during the quarter. State Street Corp owned 5.29% of Verizon Communications worth $9,080,810,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Corps Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 79.5% during the fourth quarter. Corps Capital Advisors LLC now owns 24,707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 10,940 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,829,935 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $74,533,000 after purchasing an additional 207,198 shares during the last quarter. First National Bank of Omaha raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 9.9% during the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Omaha now owns 69,500 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $2,830,000 after purchasing an additional 6,254 shares during the last quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,315 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 2,515 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alchemi Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $646,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary remain constructive on Verizon’s valuation, with several notes calling it inexpensive relative to its cash flow, earnings power, and dividend profile. Verizon: Steady, Cheap, And Still Standing
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon highlighted new AI-powered disaster-response tools, including “Digital Twin” network modeling, satellite connectivity, and mobile 5G assets, which could support network resilience and reinforce its infrastructure advantage. Verizon’s AI Disaster Tools Highlight Network Resilience And Valuation Gap
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment has also been helped by upbeat pieces describing Verizon as a defensive stock with income potential, including mentions of its raised guidance, postpaid subscriber momentum, and fiber expansion after the Frontier deal. Verizon: A Unique Opportunity In An Expensive Market
• Neutral Sentiment: An insider sold about 80% of her shares in a roughly $3 million transaction, which can draw attention but does not necessarily signal a change in Verizon’s business outlook. 1 Verizon Insider Sells 80% of Her Stock in $3 Million Deal. For Everyone Else, VZ Is a Good Buy Now.
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly trimmed its FY2027 earnings estimate for Verizon, but the change was minimal and the firm kept a Hold rating. Verizon Communications Inc. research note
• Neutral Sentiment: Some recent market updates noted Verizon outperforming a weaker broader market session, reinforcing the stock’s defensive character rather than pointing to a major company-specific catalyst. Verizon Communications (VZ) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $48.10 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. The stock has a market cap of $200.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.24. The business has a fifty day moving average of $47.20 and a 200-day moving average of $45.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business’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 firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VZ has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Barclays boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.59.

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.