Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich Invests $8.85 Million in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich purchased a new position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 201,412 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $8,852,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,504,150,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 372,787,016 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,130,494,000 after buying an additional 4,615,075 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 208,213,255 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,009,388,000 after purchasing an additional 4,205,449 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 21.5% in the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $915,552,000 after buying an additional 3,743,892 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4,274.6% during 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 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: Verizon showcased a 5G + edge computing proof‑of‑concept for vehicle‑to‑everything (V2X) with Aptiv and Wind River at MWC — a practical demo that highlights potential enterprise/edge revenue and differentiates Verizon’s network capabilities. Verizon Weighs V2X Growth Opportunities Against Sponsorship Cost Controls
• Positive Sentiment: Management is reviewing large sponsorship deals (including the NFL partnership) as part of cost controls — cutting hundreds of millions in marketing/sponsorship spend could improve margins and free cash flow if executed. Verizon (VZ) Reviewing NFL Partnership and Other Sponsorship Deals to Cut Costs
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst pieces point to durable operational momentum — subscriber gains, broadband growth and AI/telematics initiatives alongside recent quarterly beats and FY26 guidance underpin the stock’s strong YTD performance and support dividend coverage. Verizon Shares Rise 19.4% in a Year: Should You Invest Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary is asking whether Verizon is fairly valued after a strong year‑to‑date run — this could prompt profit‑taking or re‑ratings but is not a company action. Is It Time To Reassess Verizon (VZ) After Its Strong Year To Date Share Price Run?
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon will present at the Deutsche Bank Media, Internet & Telecom conference on March 10 — an opportunity for management to update investors but not itself a catalyst. Verizon to speak at Deutsche Bank Media, Internet & Telecom Conference on March 10
• Negative Sentiment: A recent major network outage left hundreds of thousands of customers without service — this raises short‑term churn, reputational risk and could attract regulatory scrutiny if issues persist. AT&T vs. Verizon in 2026: Which Telecom Dividend Stock Is Actually Worth Owning?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VZ. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price target on Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.02.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $51.17 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $44.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.60. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $215.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

About Verizon Communications

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.