Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Holdings Decreased by Capital Research Global Investors

Capital Research Global Investors trimmed its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 7.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,176,941 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 1,451,089 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors’ holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $754,927,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its position in Verizon Communications by 95.3% in the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 739.5% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 52.4% in the 2nd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 782 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. William Blair upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays started coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.28.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank upgraded VZ to Outperform and raised its price target to $54.50 (from $50.25) after meetings with Verizon management, calling the shares “cheap” at current levels — a direct bullish catalyst for demand and analyst-driven buying. Scotiabank Lifts Verizon to Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell sharply in February (down ~23.5% to ~113.5M shares, ~2.7% of shares short, ~4.3 days to cover). Reduced short exposure lowers the risk of further downward selling pressure and can remove a headwind to share-price appreciation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon presented at the Deutsche Bank Media, Internet & Telecom conference; the transcript provides refreshed management commentary and an opportunity for investors to re?assess guidance and strategy — useful but not an immediate price mover absent new disclosures. Conference Presentation Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets highlight renewed analyst interest in telecom and infrastructure names, keeping VZ on investors’ radars; these pieces support sentiment but are incremental unless followed by more upgrades or volume. Analyst Interest Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry promotions tied to the Samsung Galaxy S26 launch have ramped up offers across carriers; this could pressure near-term device economics or churn but impact on Verizon’s revenue/margins is unclear yet. Promotion Wars Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse unloaded Verizon shares were published; insider or politically related trades can draw attention but don’t necessarily signal company fundamentals. Insider/Regulatory Report
• Negative Sentiment: Some market coverage noted that VZ stock dipped recently while the broader market rose — a reminder that the name can lag on macro or sector moves and that there are active short-term technical/headline risks. Zacks: Stock Sinks Coverage

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the 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 owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $50.68 on Wednesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market cap of $213.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.31. The company’s fifty day moving average is $44.80 and its 200-day moving average is $42.67.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The business 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%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company 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 represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. 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. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

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.