J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Purchases Shares of 28,659 Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 28,659 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,167,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. TruNorth Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 95.3% during the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. 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 increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 739.5% in the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 52.4% during 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company momentum and income appeal: Analysts and commentators note Verizon is up strongly year-to-date after a solid quarter and remains attractive to income investors because its dividend yields above 5%, supporting demand from yield-seeking buyers. Verizon Is Up 24% in 2026 and Pays Over 5% in Dividends: Time to Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Operational catalyst: Barclays says Q1 should show progress on Verizon’s subscriber-turnaround plan, which could support the stock if results and commentary confirm improving subscriber trends. Verizon Q1 results to show progress on subscriber turnaround plan – Barclays
• Positive Sentiment: Dow income rotation: Market write-ups listing high-yield Dow names highlight Verizon as a top income option, which can attract defensive and dividend-focused flows during choppy markets. Should You Buy the 3 Highest-Paying Dividend Stocks in the Dow Jones?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst move is mixed: Barclays raised its price target to $47 from $43 but kept an Equal Weight rating — a modest upgrade that still implies limited upside versus the current price, so it’s not a clear buy signal. Wall Street Tells Scared Investors To Buy Verizon Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention: Verizon is a trending name on some platforms, increasing visibility and trading activity but not necessarily changing fundamentals. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market context: Some market movers (e.g., energy names like Chevron) are driving headline volatility today; that market noise can overshadow telecom-specific news and affect intraday moves. In A Dreadful Month For The Dow Jones Index, One Stock Shined
• Negative Sentiment: Relative weakness today: Coverage notes Verizon closed lower while the broader market improved, signaling short-term underperformance that likely pressured the stock during the session. Verizon Communications (VZ) Stock Declines While Market Improves: Some Information for Investors

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VZ has been the subject of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Citigroup upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.56.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 1.6%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $49.39 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $48.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.40.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company’s revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. 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.