Kathmere Capital Management LLC Sells 10,295 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Kathmere Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,299 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 10,295 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $3,189,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VZ. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the second quarter valued at $2,504,150,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,470,788,000 after purchasing an additional 7,276,809 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,512,228 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $637,812,000 after purchasing an additional 4,905,101 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 21.5% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $915,552,000 after purchasing an additional 3,743,892 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter valued at about $161,346,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VZ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.32.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Fractus patent settlement removes a lingering legal overhang, lowering litigation risk and clarifying cash?flow expectations for Verizon. Fractus and Verizon settle patent litigation
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs and other analysts have raised price targets/issued upgrades, signaling institutional confidence and supporting short?term upside. Verizon Receives a Vote of Confidence as Goldman Sachs Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have nudged fair?value estimates modestly higher (example: an update to about $50.76), reflecting improved visibility on costs and subscriber trends. How The Verizon (VZ) Investment Story Is Shifting On Costs Transparency And Fair Value Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Recent retail/investor writeups (MSN/Yahoo) highlight a bullish thesis around valuation (low trailing/forward P/E) and steady dividend profile, attracting buy interest. Is Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Press coverage noted a small pullback in recent sessions, reflecting normal volatility as investors digest mixed signals rather than a new fundamental shift. Verizon Communications (VZ) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here’s Why
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on investor reaction to the Fractus settlement suggests the deal improves the risk profile but doesn’t materially change Verizon’s growth story. How Investors May Respond To Verizon (VZ) Settling Fractus Patent Dispute And Easing Legal Overhang
• Negative Sentiment: AT&T’s rollout of 5G coverage in NYC subway tunnels (with partners) is a competitive threat in dense urban markets that could pressure share gains and subscriber adds if it yields a clear customer advantage. AT&T 5G Powers New York’s Subway Connectivity: Will it Drive Revenues?
• Negative Sentiment: Reports on aggressive pricing and loyalty risks at rival carriers amplify the risk of promotional cycles that could pressure ARPU and churn. AT&T puts loyalty at risk with stern warning to customers

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.6%

VZ opened at $50.70 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $213.82 billion, a PE ratio of 12.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company’s 50-day moving average is $47.28 and its 200 day moving average is $43.22.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.6%. 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.