Plato Investment Management Ltd Purchases 11,687 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 138,387 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 11,687 shares during the quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $6,036,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Advantage Trust Co boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 549.5% in the second quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 591 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 95.3% in the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 739.5% in the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 52.4% during the 2nd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 782 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst upgrades and bullish notes lifted momentum and helped extend the rally, with coverage citing higher target prices and “buy”/outperform views that attracted short‑term buyers. Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Up 1.6% After Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Income investors are re‑rating Verizon because it appears on multiple recent lists of high‑yield dividend picks, supporting steady demand from dividend/seeking portfolios. 3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks Perfect For Retirees
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted VZ as a top‑ranked momentum stock under its style scores — this can draw quant/momentum flows but doesn’t guarantee fundamental change. Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Top-Ranked Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of AST SpaceMobile and its 2026 launch targets (a partner/adjacent play for telecoms) is being watched for potential upside exposure, but execution risks keep this as an uncertain catalyst. Can SpaceX Rival AST SpaceMobile Meet Its 2026 Launch Targets? (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon’s consumer‑unit CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath is stepping down amid a companywide turnaround under new CEO Dan Schulman — management turnover raises near‑term execution and strategy questions for the core wireless business. Verizon’s Consumer Unit CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath to Step Down
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon filed suit accusing T‑Mobile of false advertising — the legal fight could be a distraction and pose litigation costs, though it may also be intended to blunt competitive messaging. Verizon Wireless sues T-Mobile, alleges false advertising

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, January 26th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.02.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ opened at $46.32 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $40.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $195.30 billion, a PE ratio of 11.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.33. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $47.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The business had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

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.