California State Teachers Retirement System Sells 155,106 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

California State Teachers Retirement System lowered its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 2.3% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,593,058 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 155,106 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $330,972,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VZ. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,357,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 31.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 31,584,162 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,286,423,000 after acquiring an additional 7,509,055 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,080,810,000 after acquiring an additional 7,461,335 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,747,930,000 after acquiring an additional 5,851,715 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 5,497,598 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Freedom Capital raised Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.84.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $48.23 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $45.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $201.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%.The firm had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.22 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.04 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.70%.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s second-quarter performance showed improving wireless subscriber growth, lower churn, reduced promotional costs, stronger broadband additions, and robust cash flow. Management raised its 2026 financial and free-cash-flow outlook, strengthening the investment case for earnings growth and dividend coverage. VZ Q2 Earnings Call Signals Faster Growth From Churn Gains
• Positive Sentiment: A more than $1 billion dark-fiber agreement with Alphabet, along with Verizon’s AI Connect initiative, could provide a new source of revenue from AI infrastructure and connectivity. Management expects more meaningful revenue and margin contributions beginning next year. Verizon May Be an AI Infrastructure Stock Hiding in Plain Sight
• Positive Sentiment: At least six analysts raised their price targets following the earnings update. TD Cowen increased its target to $56 and kept a Buy rating, while Scotiabank raised its target to $52.50 and maintained Sector Outperform. The improved outlook has also prompted a bullish rating upgrade from Seeking Alpha. VZ Stock Is Up 22% This Year
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is expanding 5G, fiber, converged services, and AI connectivity to diversify beyond traditional wireless. These investments could support long-term growth, but their returns depend on successful execution and continued demand. How Verizon is Positioning Itself for the Next Wave of AI Connectivity
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts still see limited upside at the current level. Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Barclays, and RBC retained Equal Weight or Sector Perform ratings, with targets ranging from $46 to $52. Competitive pressure and the need to sustain subscriber momentum remain key risks.

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.