Insider Selling: Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) CEO Sells $52,415.00 in Stock

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.65, for a total value of $52,415.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 104,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,973,039.90. This trade represents a 1.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kyle Malady also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, September 8th, Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.98, for a total value of $54,978.00.
• On Tuesday, September 1st, Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.50, for a total value of $55,550.00.
• On Tuesday, August 25th, Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.06, for a total transaction of $55,066.00.
• On Tuesday, August 18th, Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total transaction of $53,548.00.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of VZ traded up $0.42 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $46.88. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 10,770,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 27,341,277. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $48.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.47. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $194.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.20, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.26.

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

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 73.70%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. USS Investment Management Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 713,156 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $35,790,000 after purchasing an additional 31,354 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Capital Inc. increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 8.6% in the second quarter. Cornerstone Capital Inc. now owns 317,284 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $13,434,000 after purchasing an additional 25,156 shares during the period. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 15.3% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 2,382,975 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $97,059,000 after purchasing an additional 316,854 shares in the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 127.0% in the second quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 184,170 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $7,798,000 after purchasing an additional 103,046 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CPC Advisors LLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 76.4% during the first quarter. CPC Advisors LLC now owns 123,287 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $6,189,000 after purchasing an additional 53,405 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is investing $70 million in a nationwide program offering free artificial-intelligence training to job seekers, small businesses and educators. Partnerships with Goodwill, IBM, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and OpenAI could strengthen Verizon’s public profile and support long-term demand for connectivity and digital services, although the near-term earnings impact is likely limited. Reuters article on Verizon’s AI training investment
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts view Verizon as a potential leader in the 2027 spectrum auction, reflecting the company’s need to expand network capacity as 5G usage grows and 6G development progresses. Recent product launches, research partnerships and promotions are also reinforcing the company’s long-term network strategy. Yahoo Finance article on Verizon and the 2027 spectrum auction
• Positive Sentiment: A recent valuation analysis estimates Verizon may be approximately 6% undervalued as its 5G and 6G plans expand. Its high dividend yield and relatively low earnings multiple may provide support for income-oriented investors, despite recent share-price weakness. Yahoo Finance valuation analysis of Verizon
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is seeking approval to discontinue a legacy landline service in nine states. Ending the service could reduce operating costs, but regulatory scrutiny, customer disruption and potential reputational risks make the financial outcome uncertain. TheStreet article on Verizon’s landline service plans
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon could spend as much as $20 billion in the 2027 spectrum auction. While additional spectrum is strategically important, the potential cash outlay could increase capital-allocation pressure and raise concerns about leverage, especially for a dividend-focused company. Yahoo Finance spectrum auction report
• Negative Sentiment: A contractor’s fiber cut in New Jersey disrupted a backup data feed used by air-traffic controllers and contributed to hundreds of flight delays. Although the incident was accidental and temporary, it highlights operational and reliability risks that could lead to regulatory or customer concerns. Seeking Alpha report on Verizon’s fiber cut

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VZ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Freedom Capital raised Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson dropped their target price on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.97.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and related technology services. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, 5G connectivity, fixed wireless access, fiber-optic internet through Verizon Fios, home services, and connected-device solutions.

Through Verizon Business, the company serves enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations with communications networks, managed connectivity, cybersecurity, cloud and edge-computing services, unified communications, and Internet of Things solutions.