Willis Investment Counsel Sells 13,278 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Willis Investment Counsel reduced its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 549,500 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 13,278 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $22,381,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Powers Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 15,883 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $647,000 after acquiring an additional 770 shares during the period. Greenberg Financial Group bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at about $591,000. Evermay Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,216 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $212,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the period. Cliftonlarsonallen Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 54.2% in the 4th quarter. Cliftonlarsonallen Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 19,629 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $799,000 after acquiring an additional 6,899 shares during the period. Finally, Weaver Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Weaver Capital Management LLC now owns 35,701 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,454,000 after acquiring an additional 1,560 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was 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 owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% 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 valued at $10,780,356. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 1.3%

VZ stock opened at $47.98 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company’s 50 day moving average is $49.10 and its 200 day moving average is $43.57. The stock has a market cap of $202.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.29. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.9%. This is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: High dividend and income appeal: Multiple outlets note Verizon’s 5%+ forward yield and recent dividend increases, which support demand from income investors and can underpin the share price even in choppy markets. These Companies Pay 5% Dividend Yields and Are Raising Them Too (Barron’s)
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic tailwinds highlighted by MarketBeat: A recent MarketBeat piece flags Verizon’s defensive cash flow, Frontier fiber expansion, cost cuts and a $25B buyback program — factors that can support earnings growth and buyback-driven share support over time. The War Won’t Last Forever: 3 Stocks That Could Lead the Recovery (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: Advertising disclosure ruling reduces legal overhang: The BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division found Verizon’s pricing disclosures adequate in a T?Mobile challenge — a procedural win that removes a potential marketing/legal uncertainty but is unlikely to move fundamentals. NAD Finds Verizon Wireless Pricing Disclosures Adequate (GlobeNewswire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst / value recognition: Zacks and other outlets continue to profile VZ as a value/dividend candidate, which keeps the stock on buy-lists for income/value investors — supportive background but not an immediate catalyst. Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Top-Ranked Value Stock (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: DBS Bank downgraded VZ from Buy/Moderate Buy to Hold and set a $52 target, citing limited near-term upside after the stock’s run — a clear near-term headwind that likely knocked shares lower today. DBS Bank Downgrades Verizon (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Recent short-term weakness: Coverage noted a recent intraday/closing pullback (??1.1% on the last session), which can amplify negative momentum after the DBS downgrade. Verizon Stock Drops Despite Market Gains (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder proposals on governance, climate oversight and pay disclosure add proxy-season uncertainty — could draw activist interest or proxy advisory scrutiny, creating near-term pressure or volatility around the annual meeting. Verizon Shareholder Push Raises Questions On Governance (Yahoo Finance)

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VZ shares. Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. 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. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.56.

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.