DNB Asset Management AS Has $58.35 Million Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Posted by Brenda Bartman on May 16th, 2026

Verizon Communications logo DNB Asset Management AS lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Free Report) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,432,652 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 177,311 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $58,352,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 256.0% during the 4th quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 1,212,673 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $49,392,000 after purchasing an additional 872,068 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 134,723 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $5,487,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 72.3% during the 4th quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,335 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 560 shares during the last quarter. Blue Water Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth $222,000. Finally, Phoenix Financial Ltd. grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 35.1% in the 4th quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 36,746 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,496,000 after buying an additional 9,549 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

Positive Sentiment: The FCC approved Verizon’s $1 billion purchase of spectrum assets from U.S. Cellular, a move that should expand Verizon’s network capacity and coverage and strengthen its competitive position. FCC approves Verizon’s $1 billion spectrum purchase
Positive Sentiment: Verizon joined AT&T and T-Mobile in a proposed satellite-based joint venture aimed at closing rural wireless dead zones, which could improve service quality, coverage reliability, and the industry’s long-term growth narrative. Verizon Joins Rivals On Satellite Venture Reshaping Coverage And Investor Focus
Positive Sentiment: Verizon closed a $4 billion junior subordinated notes offering, which was framed as strengthening its capital structure and supporting refinancing/funding flexibility. Verizon Strengthens Capital Structure with $4 Billion Notes
Positive Sentiment: A bullish piece highlighted Verizon as one of 2026’s top defensive picks, citing undervaluation, a well-covered dividend, and potential upside over the next year. Why Verizon Is One of Our Top Defensive Picks In 2026
Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on Verizon’s competitive position versus T-Mobile, customer retention, and a customer-facing website blocking issue; these are more mixed in nature and do not clearly change the near-term investment case. T-Mobile vs. Verizon: Is It Time to Choose a New Carrier?
Negative Sentiment: A report on new layoffs suggests Verizon is still pushing hard on cost cuts and restructuring, which may help margins but can also signal pressure on operations and demand. Verizon Announces New Layoffs as Cost-Cutting Continues Into 2026
Negative Sentiment: One article warned that Verizon’s latest phone plan changes could push away customers, reinforcing concerns about churn in a highly competitive wireless market. Verizon’s latest phone plan change may drive away consumers

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Verizon Communications

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $46.44 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $48.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.48. The company has a market cap of $193.90 billion, a PE ratio of 11.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

About Verizon Communications

(Free Report)

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.