Private Management Group Inc. Has $43.68 Million Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Private Management Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,072,444 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 25,909 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications comprises about 1.3% of Private Management Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Private Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $43,681,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL now owns 1,017,046 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $41,424,000 after acquiring an additional 19,625 shares during the last quarter. Stirlingshire Investments Inc. bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at about $319,000. CSM Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. CSM Advisors LLC now owns 748,783 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $30,494,000 after acquiring an additional 58,819 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC now owns 11,892 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $484,000 after acquiring an additional 1,353 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC now owns 18,117 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $738,000 after acquiring an additional 946 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. 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. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of VZ opened at $47.04 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $196.43 billion, a PE ratio of 11.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 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. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.45.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The business’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.02%.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several recent commentaries argue Verizon looks undervalued, citing its roughly 6% dividend yield, strong free-cash-flow generation, and defensive appeal in a volatile market. One note also highlights raised 2026 guidance, mid-single-digit EPS growth expectations, and robust postpaid net adds as signs of improving operating momentum. Article: Verizon: A Unique Opportunity In An Expensive Market
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also focusing on Verizon’s fiber expansion, including the Frontier acquisition, which should broaden its broadband footprint and improve its competitive position versus satellite-based connectivity rivals and other wireless peers. Article: Verizon: Satellite Pessimism Overly Done – Rich Upside And Income Potential Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: A market note said Verizon rose while the broader market dipped, reinforcing its image as a defensive stock that can hold up when investors rotate toward steadier income names. Article: Verizon Communications (VZ) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate for Verizon, but the change was minimal and the firm kept a Hold rating, suggesting only a modest impact on the stock. Source: MarketBeat analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Other recent articles compare Verizon with AT&T and AST SpaceMobile, but these pieces are mostly relative-value discussions rather than direct catalysts for VZ. Article: VZ vs. ASTS: Which Connectivity Stock is the Better Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary warns that Verizon still faces limits to future profitability improvement, meaning investors may want to temper expectations even though the stock has defensive qualities. Article: Verizon: A Good Defensive Play In Times Of Market Exuberance

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.