Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Boosts Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH raised its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,505,530 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 54,773 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $61,320,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ stock opened at $50.70 on Friday. 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 has a market capitalization of $213.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.52, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.31. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.22. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

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

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on VZ. Evercore boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. William Blair raised shares of Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.32.

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.