Martin Capital Partners LLC Sells 60,741 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Martin Capital Partners LLC reduced its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 34.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 117,656 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 60,741 shares during the period. Verizon Communications accounts for approximately 1.8% of Martin Capital Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Martin Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $4,792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 95.3% in the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 739.5% in the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the period. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications in the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on VZ. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, January 26th. William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.03.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $49.44 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $46.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.00. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.31.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The business had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company 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 of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts/coverage pieces argue Verizon’s combination of 5G growth, continued fiber expansion and a relatively attractive valuation give it better upside vs. AT&T, supporting a longer-term case for the shares. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Hold on Verizon, signaling no near-term conviction for a buy despite operational progress. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: J.P. Morgan maintained a Hold and a roughly $49 price target, noting near-term earnings headwinds are balanced by strategic fiber investments. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Legislative update — H.R.7752 (Kelsey Smith Act) would tighten requirements for providers to disclose location data during emergencies, which could force process and compliance changes for carriers including Verizon (operational/regulatory impact is uncertain). Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/allocations note — a new options-overlay ETF (DDDD) that builds on SCHD highlights yield-seeking product innovation; such products can influence where income-focused investors allocate capital versus high-yielding telecoms. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc warned Verizon’s planned new reporting structure (starting in Q1) reduces disclosure usefulness and makes modeling revenue/segment trends harder — a transparency hit that can weigh on investor confidence and valuation. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Feature pieces and analyst notes continue to flag Verizon’s heavy debt load, large ongoing capex needs (5G/fiber), and leadership transition as execution risks that could pressure near-term returns. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market-watch commentary noted Verizon shares have recently declined more than the broader market, reflecting the combination of the items above (analyst caution, reporting-change concerns and income-rotation). Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications 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.