Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Boosts Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 113,699 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 20,260 shares during the quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $4,997,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hudock Inc. raised its position in Verizon Communications by 0.6% in the second quarter. Hudock Inc. now owns 39,842 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,724,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. McLean Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 8,571 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Red Spruce Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 71,541 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,144,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Camden National Bank raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Camden National Bank now owns 5,666 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Finally, FRG Family Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 1.8% in the second quarter. FRG Family Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,517 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $628,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa upgraded VZ to Buy and raised its price target to $58 (from $48), citing clear momentum from Verizon’s Q4 results and subscriber growth; that lift in analyst sentiment supports upside for the shares. Daiwa Upgrades Verizon (VZ) as Subscriber Growth Signals Strong Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Technical indicator: VZ recently cleared a “golden cross” (50‑day SMA above 200‑day SMA), which often attracts momentum and technical traders and can increase buying interest. Verizon Communications (VZ) Now Trades Above Golden Cross: Time to Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Price action: the stock reached a 52‑week high (~$50.25 in recent headlines), reinforcing the bullish narrative and likely drawing fresh attention from momentum and dividend-seeking investors. Verizon Communications stock hits 52-week high at 50.25 USD
• Neutral Sentiment: Debt issuance: Verizon completed a sale of €2.25 billion of junior subordinated notes (and related sterling issuance) — this raises liquidity but also adds subordinated debt; impact depends on use of proceeds and investor view on leverage. Verizon Issues Euro and Sterling Junior Subordinated Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend/defensive demand: VZ continues to appear on lists of attractive dividend or low‑volatility names, which supports interest from income investors but is unlikely to produce large near‑term price moves by itself. My 5 Favorite Dividend Stocks to Buy Right Now
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headwinds: broader market weakness tied to tariff news and geopolitical headlines is pressuring indexes; such market-wide pullbacks can cap gains in telecom stocks despite company‑specific positives. Stock Market Today: Dow Dives As EU Makes Trump Tariff Move; Novo Plunges On This (Live Coverage)

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $49.63 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $50.48. The firm has a market cap of $209.33 billion, a PE ratio of 12.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.33. The company’s 50 day moving average is $42.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.18.

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

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VZ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Evercore upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.02.

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.