Welch Group LLC Raises Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Welch Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,166,318 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 18,384 shares during the period. Verizon Communications makes up about 2.0% of Welch Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Welch Group LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $51,260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 121.8% in the 1st quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 176,531 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $8,007,000 after purchasing an additional 96,931 shares in the last quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 2,916.8% during the second quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 347,716 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $15,046,000 after buying an additional 336,190 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 11.0% during the second quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 7,297,469 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $309,551,000 after buying an additional 722,559 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 23.8% in the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 205,416 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $8,888,000 after acquiring an additional 39,445 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WCG Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 110.7% in the second quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 49,511 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $2,142,000 after acquiring an additional 26,017 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large institutional buying: Several big managers (e.g., UBS AM, BlackRock, State Street, Capital World Investors) materially increased VZ positions in Q3 2025, a sign of continued institutional conviction that could underpin the share price. QuiverQuant: Opinion Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst buy ratings and midpoint targets: Recent buy ratings (TD Cowen, Goldman Sachs) and a median analyst price target near $49 provide upside thesis points for investors focused on dividend yield + upside from network/5G execution. QuiverQuant: Analyst Ratings & Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Frontier acquisition could be material growth driver if approved: Market commentary highlights the $20B Frontier deal as a potential long‑term revenue/cable footprint boost, which would be constructive for VZ’s growth outlook if regulatory approvals are secured. QuiverQuant: Frontier Deal Discussion
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are conflicted: Coverage notes split views across communication‑services names, signaling mixed near‑term outlooks even as some firms remain constructive; that keeps volatility likely until clearer fundamentals or deal outcomes emerge. Globe and Mail: Analysts Conflicted
• Neutral Sentiment: Trending stock coverage and comparisons: Zacks and retail/press pieces are drawing attention to VZ (including long‑term comparisons vs. AT&T), which can amplify flows but not necessarily change fundamentals. Zacks: Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Long‑term dividend story vs. peers: Commentary comparing VZ vs. AT&T emphasizes Verizon’s steady dividend history but notes five‑year price underperformance — relevant for income investors weighing yield vs. capital appreciation. Motley Fool: VZ vs T
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research cut multiple EPS estimates: Small but broad downward revisions (examples: Q4 2026 to $1.16 from $1.17; Q2 2026 to $1.24 from $1.26; Q4 2025 to $1.05 from $1.07; FY25/FY26/FY27 trimmed slightly) lower near‑term earnings expectations and can weigh on the share price until trends reverse.
• Negative Sentiment: Job‑cut and execution concerns: Reports of roughly 15,000 planned job cuts and public debate over execution/service impacts increase near‑term uncertainty and reputational risk, and regulatory uncertainty around the Frontier deal raises the chance of delays or concessions. QuiverQuant: Job Cuts & Deal Debate

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on VZ. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $49.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas downgraded Verizon Communications from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wall Street Zen cut Verizon Communications from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.47.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $39.98 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $40.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.10. The company has a market capitalization of $168.57 billion, a PE ratio of 8.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.33. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.58 and a 1 year high of $47.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 14.43%.The business’s revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be issued a $0.69 dividend. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.97%.

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.