OLD National Bancorp IN Sells 17,849 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

OLD National Bancorp IN decreased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 312,667 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 17,849 shares during the quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $12,735,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VZ. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $14,761,000 after acquiring an additional 13,787 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $13,521,000 after purchasing an additional 17,495 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 14.0% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,665,000 after purchasing an additional 46,699 shares in the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,184,000 after buying an additional 14,862 shares during the period. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 18.4% during the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $6,196,000 after buying an additional 21,915 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VZ shares. Dbs Bank downgraded Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.56.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend reliability attracts income investors — Barron’s highlights Verizon’s ~4.4% yield as a steady, lower-volatility telecom holding, supporting demand from dividend-focused funds and long-term income buyers. AT&T vs. Verizon vs. T-Mobile: Why This 4.4% Yield Is the Steadiest Bet in Telecom.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings event in focus — Verizon confirmed its Q1 2026 earnings/webcast on April 27; the report will be the key near-term catalyst for the stock as investors look for revenue, wireless trends, and fiber progress. Verizon to report first-quarter earnings on April 27, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Market prep and estimates — preview pieces (Yahoo Finance, Zacks) urge investors to focus on key metrics (wireless service revenue, broadband/fiber growth, Frontier integration) ahead of Q1; expectations are mixed and will frame the stock’s immediate move. Verizon to Report Q1 Earnings: How to Approach the Stock Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Industry competition and near-term headwinds — previews note that intensifying competition (wireless pricing and fiber buildouts) could limit upside in the quarter even as longer-term 5G and fiber investments continue. Verizon to Report Q1 Earnings: How to Approach the Stock Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Partner and vendor execution risks — AST SpaceMobile’s recent launch mishap and resulting share drop highlight third-party deployment risks for space-based services; any dependency or perceived tie to similar projects can spook investors. AST SpaceMobile Drops 15% After Blue Origin Satellite Mishap (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and institutional repositioning — recent Quiver/GlobeNewswire data show notable insider sales and large institutional trimming by some big holders, which can weigh on sentiment even if other institutions add exposure. Verizon Communications Inc. Schedules First-Quarter 2026 Earnings Report and Webcast

Verizon Communications Trading Up 2.3%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.06 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $43.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.59, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.9 earnings per share for the current 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 dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 69.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.