Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Stock Position Raised by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 13.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 631,758 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 77,303 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $26,749,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $2,357,158,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 15.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 62,101,021 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,117,471,000 after buying an additional 8,289,877 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 7,509,055 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after acquiring an additional 7,461,335 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% during the 4th 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 last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total transaction of $53,548.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 109,866 shares in the company, valued at $5,348,276.88. This represents a 0.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of VZ stock opened at $49.28 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $45.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.24. The stock has a market cap of $204.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.25.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on VZ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.84.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s fiber strategy is receiving attention following its Frontier acquisition. Greater fiber scale could support broadband growth, improve network economics and strengthen the company’s competitive position. Verizon Communications Leans Into Fiber After the Frontier Close
• Positive Sentiment: Income-focused coverage continues to highlight Verizon’s roughly 6% dividend yield and 20 consecutive years of dividend increases. Analysts note that the payout appears secure, although limited growth remains a consideration for investors. Verizon’s Dividend Looks Secure But Investors Should Keep an Eye on Growth
• Positive Sentiment: A post-earnings review presents Verizon as a potential buy-or-hold candidate for income investors. The company recently exceeded quarterly EPS expectations and maintains fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of approximately $4.99 to $5.04. Verizon Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q2 Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The small transaction reduces his holdings by less than 1% and is unlikely to materially change the investment outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles criticizing Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF’s methodology and high-yield “dividend traps” concern other securities and do not directly alter Verizon’s fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Verizon’s final appeal of a $47 million FCC fine tied to customer location-data practices. The ruling ends the recovery effort and reinforces regulatory and privacy-compliance risks for the telecom operator. Supreme Court Rejects Verizon Bid to Recover $47M FCC Fine

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.