Miller Global Investments LLC Makes New $1.15 Million Investment in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Miller Global Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 28,218 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,149,000. Verizon Communications comprises approximately 1.0% of Miller Global Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VZ. TruNorth Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 95.3% during the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the third quarter worth about $29,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its position in Verizon Communications by 739.5% in the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 52.4% in the second quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 782 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 269 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Evercore lifted their price target 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 upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.03.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE VZ opened at $49.44 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $208.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.31. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $46.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.00.

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

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts/coverage pieces argue Verizon’s combination of 5G growth, continued fiber expansion and a relatively attractive valuation give it better upside vs. AT&T, supporting a longer-term case for the shares. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Hold on Verizon, signaling no near-term conviction for a buy despite operational progress. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: J.P. Morgan maintained a Hold and a roughly $49 price target, noting near-term earnings headwinds are balanced by strategic fiber investments. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Legislative update — H.R.7752 (Kelsey Smith Act) would tighten requirements for providers to disclose location data during emergencies, which could force process and compliance changes for carriers including Verizon (operational/regulatory impact is uncertain). Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/allocations note — a new options-overlay ETF (DDDD) that builds on SCHD highlights yield-seeking product innovation; such products can influence where income-focused investors allocate capital versus high-yielding telecoms. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc warned Verizon’s planned new reporting structure (starting in Q1) reduces disclosure usefulness and makes modeling revenue/segment trends harder — a transparency hit that can weigh on investor confidence and valuation. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Feature pieces and analyst notes continue to flag Verizon’s heavy debt load, large ongoing capex needs (5G/fiber), and leadership transition as execution risks that could pressure near-term returns. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market-watch commentary noted Verizon shares have recently declined more than the broader market, reflecting the combination of the items above (analyst caution, reporting-change concerns and income-rotation). Read More.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In related news, 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.