Capital Research Global Investors Reduces Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Capital Research Global Investors cut its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 7.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,176,941 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 1,451,089 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors owned approximately 0.41% of Verizon Communications worth $754,927,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,512,228 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $637,812,000 after purchasing an additional 4,905,101 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Inc. CA purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $5,292,000. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Verizon Communications by 4.5% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,188,066 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,238,866,000 after purchasing an additional 1,203,445 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 19.4% in the third quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 192,039 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $8,441,000 after buying an additional 31,204 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sienna Gestion lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 19.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 296,601 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $11,885,000 after acquiring an additional 48,960 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $50.68 on Wednesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $213.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.31. The company’s fifty day moving average is $44.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.67.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. 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 firm 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 $0.7075 dividend. 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 5.6%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on VZ. Scotiabank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.28.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank upgraded VZ to Outperform and raised its price target to $54.50 (from $50.25) after meetings with Verizon management, calling the shares “cheap” at current levels — a direct bullish catalyst for demand and analyst-driven buying. Scotiabank Lifts Verizon to Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell sharply in February (down ~23.5% to ~113.5M shares, ~2.7% of shares short, ~4.3 days to cover). Reduced short exposure lowers the risk of further downward selling pressure and can remove a headwind to share-price appreciation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon presented at the Deutsche Bank Media, Internet & Telecom conference; the transcript provides refreshed management commentary and an opportunity for investors to re‑assess guidance and strategy — useful but not an immediate price mover absent new disclosures. Conference Presentation Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets highlight renewed analyst interest in telecom and infrastructure names, keeping VZ on investors’ radars; these pieces support sentiment but are incremental unless followed by more upgrades or volume. Analyst Interest Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry promotions tied to the Samsung Galaxy S26 launch have ramped up offers across carriers; this could pressure near-term device economics or churn but impact on Verizon’s revenue/margins is unclear yet. Promotion Wars Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse unloaded Verizon shares were published; insider or politically related trades can draw attention but don’t necessarily signal company fundamentals. Insider/Regulatory Report
• Negative Sentiment: Some market coverage noted that VZ stock dipped recently while the broader market rose — a reminder that the name can lag on macro or sector moves and that there are active short-term technical/headline risks. Zacks: Stock Sinks Coverage

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.