Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas Purchases 16,214 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 16,214 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $726,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC now owns 3,568 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the first quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,338 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.6% during the second quarter. Manchester Financial Inc. now owns 34,924 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,479,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 32.7% in the first quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 888 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FAS Wealth Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 18,421 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $925,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.48, for a total value of $48,928.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 99,966 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,446,487.68. The trade was a 1.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 9,900 shares of company stock valued at $469,073 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.80.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon enters earnings season with potential support from strong customer metrics, continued fiber expansion and an attractive valuation. Analysts expect third-quarter earnings per share of approximately $1.27, representing single-digit growth, while investors will focus on subscriber trends and broadband momentum. Is Verizon Stock Worth Buying Ahead of Q3 Earnings Release
• Positive Sentiment: Preview coverage suggests investors may look beyond revenue and EPS to operating indicators such as wireless customer additions, churn, service revenue and broadband growth. Favorable results in these areas could help validate Verizon’s strategy and improve sentiment ahead of the report. Countdown to Verizon Q3 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is scheduled to report third-quarter results on October 26. The earnings event is likely to drive near-term volatility because investors are assessing whether a fresh operating strategy can produce growth in a competitive market. Verizon Q3 2026 Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Because the sale represented only about 1.09% of his holdings and was planned in advance, it provides limited insight into management’s current outlook. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure remains a key concern. AT&T’s weak market reaction despite an earnings beat and raised outlook weighed on the wireless group, while Starlink is promoting satellite connectivity as a potential disruptor to traditional telecom services. High debt and intense competition could limit Verizon’s upside even if it meets estimates. Starlink Telecom Competition

Verizon Communications Trading Down 2.1%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $43.62 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $181.25 billion, a PE ratio of 9.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.26. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%. The company’s revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.70%.

Verizon Communications Company Profile

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and digital connectivity services. Through its consumer business, Verizon offers mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and other connected devices, home internet, fixed wireless access, and fiber-optic broadband services under the Fios brand.

Verizon also serves businesses, government agencies, and other organizations with wireless connectivity, private networks, internet and data services, managed communications, cloud and security solutions, and Internet of Things services.