Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC Lowers Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 76,353 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 13,215 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $3,233,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. USS Investment Management Ltd grew its stake in 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 valued at $35,790,000 after acquiring an additional 31,354 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 2,197,366 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $89,499,000 after purchasing an additional 639,380 shares in the last quarter. Clarity Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 697.0% in the fourth quarter. Clarity Financial LLC now owns 471,127 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $19,189,000 after purchasing an additional 412,018 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 2,382,975 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $97,059,000 after purchasing an additional 316,854 shares during the period. Finally, Keudell Morrison Wealth Management purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,171,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

NYSE VZ opened at $46.92 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $45.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.92. The firm has a market cap of $194.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57.

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

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th were given 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 yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on VZ. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Moffett Nathanson cut their price objective on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.84.

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.