JT Stratford LLC Has $1.53 Million Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

JT Stratford LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 300.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,852 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 26,143 shares during the period. JT Stratford LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,532,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VZ. Hudock Inc. increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.6% in the second quarter. Hudock Inc. now owns 39,842 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,724,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 2.9% in 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 boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 0.3% in 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 period. Camden National Bank grew its position in Verizon Communications by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Camden National Bank now owns 5,666 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cascade Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 7,318 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $51.20 on Thursday. 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 Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.41. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $43.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.51. The company has a market capitalization of $215.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.31.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VZ. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.25 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. William Blair raised shares of Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Williams Trading set a $54.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.02.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon showcased a vehicle‑to‑everything (V2X) proof‑of‑concept at MWC Barcelona with Aptiv and Wind River that used its 5G + edge compute platform to share real‑time sensor data between cars — a concrete example of how Verizon’s network could create new enterprise revenue streams in connected‑vehicle services. V2X Trial Article
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals and capital returns remain supportive: Verizon beat EPS estimates in its latest quarter, set FY2026 guidance of $4.90–4.95, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (5.6% yield), which underpins income investor demand. MarketBeat Earnings & Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Verizon recently considered pulling back on its NFL sponsorship deal — may reflect cost/marketing reprioritization but outcome and financial impact are unclear. MSN NFL Sponsorship Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media attention: Zacks notes VZ as a highly watched stock and provides a fresh take for investors weighing value vs. growth; coverage can drive short‑term flows but contains no new company guidance. Zacks Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noted AST SpaceMobile’s big revenue beat; any direct benefit to Verizon is speculative but it keeps space‑based cellular themes in the newsflow. AST SpaceMobile Story
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness tied to U.S.‑Iran escalation fears pressured major indexes — a macro headwind that can weigh on VZ despite defensive characteristics. Market Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Mary‑Lee Stillwell disclosed a sale of 8,569 shares at about $50 — a routine liquidity event but one that can nudge short‑term sentiment lower. SEC Filing

Verizon Communications Company 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.