Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. Reduces Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. reduced its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 74.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,657 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 16,250 shares during the quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $230,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Verizon Communications by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 373,904,749 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,433,114,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117,733 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,470,788,000 after purchasing an additional 7,276,809 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the second quarter valued at $2,504,150,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.2% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 45,265,695 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,989,427,000 after purchasing an additional 557,576 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.5% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,188,066 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,238,866,000 after buying an additional 1,203,445 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VZ has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays assumed coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications 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 assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.32.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In related news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade and price-target raise: VZ was lifted by at least one analyst raising its price target to $55 and subsequent coverage noting the stronger outlook, which supports near-term buying. Price Target Raised to $55
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum from earnings, buyback and subscriber gains: Recent commentary highlights Verizon’s strong Q4 (postpaid phone adds, revenue beat), a $25B buyback, improved free cash flow and 5G demand — fundamentals that have driven a YTD rally and support further upside. Verizon Stock Is Soaring in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Yield and defensive appeal: Multiple outlets are listing VZ as a high?yield, low?volatility name (5%+ yield, long dividend growth streak), making it attractive in a risk?off market and drawing institutional inflows. This income story is supporting multiple buyers. 5 High-Yield Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Macro backdrop favors high-yield names: Commentary that interest?rate cut hopes may be delayed has pushed investors toward reliable dividend payers; that dynamic benefits Verizon relative to growth names. Interest Rate Cut Hopes Are Over
• Neutral Sentiment: Customer engagement promotion: Verizon announced multiple FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket sweepstakes and promotions to boost customer engagement and brand loyalty; positive PR but limited immediate financial impact. FIFA World Cup Promotions
• Negative Sentiment: Business segment pressure: Coverage notes that Business revenues have dipped amid rising costs and competition, which could weigh on margins if enterprise 5G and solutions don’t scale fast enough — a watchpoint for investors despite longer-term 5G opportunity. Business Segment Outlook

Verizon Communications Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $50.65 on Tuesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.67. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.07. The company has a market cap of $213.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.30.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion during 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 for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date 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 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.