Phoenix Wealth Advisors Cuts Stock Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Phoenix Wealth Advisors trimmed its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 21.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 45,231 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 12,507 shares during the period. Phoenix Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,842,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. McLean Asset Management Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 8,571 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $355,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Red Spruce Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 71,541 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,144,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period. Monetary Management Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 30,400 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,315,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Cascade Financial Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 7,318 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Centurion Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Centurion Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,490 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 1.3%

VZ opened at $47.98 on Thursday. 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 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $49.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.57. The company has a market cap of $202.38 billion, a PE ratio of 11.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.29.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued 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 net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications’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. Sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. 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. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 68.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. 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. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company 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: High dividend and income appeal: Multiple outlets note Verizon’s 5%+ forward yield and recent dividend increases, which support demand from income investors and can underpin the share price even in choppy markets. These Companies Pay 5% Dividend Yields and Are Raising Them Too (Barron’s)
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic tailwinds highlighted by MarketBeat: A recent MarketBeat piece flags Verizon’s defensive cash flow, Frontier fiber expansion, cost cuts and a $25B buyback program — factors that can support earnings growth and buyback-driven share support over time. The War Won’t Last Forever: 3 Stocks That Could Lead the Recovery (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: Advertising disclosure ruling reduces legal overhang: The BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division found Verizon’s pricing disclosures adequate in a T‑Mobile challenge — a procedural win that removes a potential marketing/legal uncertainty but is unlikely to move fundamentals. NAD Finds Verizon Wireless Pricing Disclosures Adequate (GlobeNewswire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst / value recognition: Zacks and other outlets continue to profile VZ as a value/dividend candidate, which keeps the stock on buy-lists for income/value investors — supportive background but not an immediate catalyst. Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Top-Ranked Value Stock (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: DBS Bank downgraded VZ from Buy/Moderate Buy to Hold and set a $52 target, citing limited near-term upside after the stock’s run — a clear near-term headwind that likely knocked shares lower today. DBS Bank Downgrades Verizon (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Recent short-term weakness: Coverage noted a recent intraday/closing pullback (≈‑1.1% on the last session), which can amplify negative momentum after the DBS downgrade. Verizon Stock Drops Despite Market Gains (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder proposals on governance, climate oversight and pay disclosure add proxy-season uncertainty — could draw activist interest or proxy advisory scrutiny, creating near-term pressure or volatility around the annual meeting. Verizon Shareholder Push Raises Questions On Governance (Yahoo Finance)

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.