Private Advisory Group LLC Takes Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Private Advisory Group LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 213,804 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $9,397,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the second quarter worth $2,504,150,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 372,787,016 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $16,130,494,000 after acquiring an additional 4,615,075 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 208,213,255 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,009,388,000 after acquiring an additional 4,205,449 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 21.5% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $915,552,000 after purchasing an additional 3,743,892 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4,274.6% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,917,508 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $82,971,000 after purchasing an additional 1,873,675 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $49.24 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $42.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.14. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $50.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $207.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.33.

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

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on VZ. Weiss Ratings upgraded Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target 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 issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.02.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa Capital upgraded Verizon, a bullish broker action that likely helped lift sentiment and buying interest in the stock. Daiwa Capital upgrades Verizon Communications (VZ)
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage shows a constructive tilt: an aggregate “Moderate Buy” consensus helps validate demand among institutional investors and supports the stock’s rebound. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend-focused coverage is highlighting Verizon as a reliable income name this year, which can attract retail and institutional dividend-seeking flows that support the share price. Retirees Are Winning Big in 2026: 3 Popular Dividend Stocks Are Soaring
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying fundamentals remain supportive: Verizon beat Q4 revenue and EPS expectations and set FY2026 EPS guidance near $4.90–4.95, which gives investors confidence in cash flow and dividend coverage. (Company Q4 earnings release)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces are debating whether the recent price rebound already reflects Verizon’s long‑term value — useful reading for investors weighing further entry points versus taking profits. Is Verizon (VZ) Pricing Reflect Long Term Value After Recent Share Price Rebound
• Negative Sentiment: Balance-sheet and liquidity metrics remain points of caution: debt-to-equity is elevated and current/quick ratios are below 1, which could constrain capital flexibility if macro or capex pressures rise.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.