Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Sold by West Family Investments Inc.

West Family Investments Inc. lessened its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 30.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 25,209 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 11,110 shares during the quarter. West Family Investments Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,027,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% in the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the 4th quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VZ has been the topic of a number of research reports. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $45.39 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $47.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $189.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.07, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.24. 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 Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid 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 yield of 6.2%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.02%.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, reinforcing its reputation as a high-yield income stock and signaling stable cash returns to shareholders. Verizon declares quarterly dividend on June 4, 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary noted Verizon has outperformed over the past several months on the back of subscriber gains, broadband growth, and AI-related initiatives, which may support the stock’s longer-term narrative. VZ Shares Rise 8.6% in Six Months: What’s the Next Move for Investors?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market pieces focused on Verizon’s valuation and dividend appeal, with some arguing the stock is still compelling for income investors while others question whether the upside is limited. Forget Wall Street’s Ultimate Telecom Value Trap and Buy the Real Free Cash Flow King
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s debt tender and exchange offers, along with broader capital-priority discussion, suggest management is actively managing leverage and liquidity, but the move is not an immediate fundamental catalyst. Do Verizon (VZ) Debt Tenders and Dividend Steadiness Hint at a Shifting Capital Priorities Playbook?
• Negative Sentiment: The Supreme Court’s decision in the FCC dispute increases Verizon’s regulatory risk and could lead to continued fines or enforcement actions, weighing on investor sentiment. US Supreme Court backs FCC in clash with wireless carriers over fines
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure from Starlink and concerns about Verizon’s store/customer backlash have widened skepticism about the company’s growth outlook and valuation. Verizon Confronts Store Backlash And Starlink Threat As Valuation Gap Widens

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.