Morningstar Investment Management LLC Buys 17,188 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Morningstar Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 14.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 134,992 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,188 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $5,498,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $15,453,058,000 after buying an additional 5,497,598 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,470,788,000 after buying an additional 7,276,809 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted 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 buying an additional 557,576 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in 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 period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 2.9% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 22,592,460 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $992,939,000 after buying an additional 646,537 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is part of a proposed joint venture with AT&T and T-Mobile to eliminate mobile dead zones, a move that could strengthen coverage in underserved areas and support long-term wireless demand. Verizon (VZ), AT&T, and T-Mobile Form A Joint Venture to End Mobile Dead Zones Across the US
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s annual meeting results showed shareholders backed all nine director nominees and approved key management proposals, suggesting continued investor confidence in the company’s direction and governance. Verizon Announces Preliminary Shareholder Voting Results from 2026 Annual Meeting
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon was named California SBDC’s Corporate Small Business Champion of the Year, reinforcing its brand and relationships with small business customers, a valuable segment for wireless and connectivity services. California SBDC Names Verizon Corporate Small Business Champion of the Year
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighting Verizon’s dividend strength and earnings momentum may be helping sentiment, with investors viewing VZ as a defensive income stock that can keep paying down debt and potentially repurchase shares. Verizon: A Bright Future With Growing Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s new Motorola razr 2026 promotion and FIFA World Cup ticket giveaway are marketing initiatives that could support customer engagement, but they are not likely to move the stock on their own. The iconic flip meets incredible value: The new motorola razr 2026 joins Verizon’s lineup Verizon announces a massive ticket drop for FIFA World Cup 2026™
• Neutral Sentiment: Several third-party articles frame Verizon as an undervalued or top-ranked stock, which may reinforce bullish sentiment, but these are opinion pieces rather than direct business catalysts. Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Top-Ranked Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of VZ opened at $48.43 on Monday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68. The business’s fifty day moving average is $48.16 and its 200 day moving average is $44.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market cap of $202.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VZ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. 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. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Company 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.