Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Decreases Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC cut its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 8.9% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 321,398 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 31,353 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $13,608,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,759,000 after purchasing an additional 16,704 shares in the last quarter. United Bank raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 11.5% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 312.0% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 17,901 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 17.2% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,779,000 after purchasing an additional 6,034 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VZ has been the topic of a number of research reports. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.84.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising their Verizon earnings forecasts slightly. Erste Group lifted its FY2026 estimate to $5.01 per share from $4.99 and its FY2027 estimate to $5.26 from $5.23. The revisions reinforce the current-year consensus forecast of approximately $5.03 per share, although the bank maintained a “Hold” rating. Verizon earnings estimate article
• Positive Sentiment: Stronger wireless performance and potential AI infrastructure deals are improving Verizon’s growth narrative. Rising estimates could support valuation and investor confidence, particularly given the company’s relatively defensive telecommunications business. Verizon earnings revisions article
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon began preorders for Google’s Pixel 11 lineup, including installment and annual-upgrade plans through its Simplicity offering. The launch may help Verizon attract and retain higher-value wireless customers, though the immediate financial impact is likely limited. Verizon Pixel 11 preorder article
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to arrests and convictions related to fiber vandalism in Southern California. The program may deter future outages and protect network reliability, but recent disruptions highlight ongoing infrastructure-security costs and operational risks. Verizon network vandalism reward article
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon still faces significant debt and competition from AT&T, T-Mobile and lower-priced wireless providers. These pressures could limit margin expansion and make the company’s growth investments—including AI infrastructure and network upgrades—more difficult to finance. Verizon competitive and debt risks article

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $46.92 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $45.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $194.94 billion, a PE ratio of 12.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.25.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The company had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.70%.

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.