Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Purchased by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 41.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,197,366 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 639,380 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned approximately 0.05% of Verizon Communications worth $89,499,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 61.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,759,000 after purchasing an additional 16,704 shares in the last quarter. United Bank boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 11.5% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 312.0% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 17,901 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 17.2% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,779,000 after purchasing an additional 6,034 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 5.2% during the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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 Stock Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $45.96 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 has a market cap of $192.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.29. The business has a fifty day moving average of $49.15 and a 200-day moving average of $43.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.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 posted $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 69.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.56.

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.