Leonteq Securities AG Acquires New Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Leonteq Securities AG bought a new stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 122,946 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $5,008,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VZ. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 16,704 shares in the last quarter. United Bank grew its position in Verizon Communications by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $339,000 after acquiring an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 312.0% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after acquiring an additional 17,901 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,779,000 after acquiring an additional 6,034 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP grew its position in Verizon Communications by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $389,000 after acquiring an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon highlighted stronger consumer traction in its latest earnings commentary, including postpaid phone growth and broadband gains, which supports the view that its core wireless business is stabilizing. Verizon Earnings Call Highlights Turnaround Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon, along with AT&T and T-Mobile, is advancing a satellite connectivity joint venture aimed at eliminating dead zones, a strategic move that could improve network coverage and long-term competitive positioning. Verizon to redeem debt securities on June 20, 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced it will redeem about $1.3 billion of notes on June 20, signaling active debt management that may be viewed favorably by income-oriented investors. Verizon to redeem debt securities on June 20, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon also announced the winner of its first Frontline App Developer Challenge, underscoring innovation in public safety and emergency response, but the near-term financial impact appears limited. Verizon champions the innovators of tomorrow, names winner of Verizon Frontline App Developer Challenge
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s latest industry cybersecurity report drew attention to a surge in AI-driven social engineering and vulnerability exploitation, highlighting Verizon’s security expertise but not directly changing fundamentals. AI-related data breaches surpass stolen credentials in cyber incidents, Verizon report says

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.80 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The company has a market cap of $199.57 billion, a PE ratio of 11.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.69.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on VZ. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Dbs Bank downgraded Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.