Peterson Wealth Services Grows Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Posted by Stanley Muller on Jun 12th, 2026

Verizon Communications logo Peterson Wealth Services increased its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Free Report) by 353.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 31,306 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,403 shares during the quarter. Peterson Wealth Services’ holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VZ. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $257,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 9,257 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $377,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 9,788 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 14,891 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $607,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 27,471 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,119,000 after buying an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VZ shares. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Scotiabank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Verizon Communications

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

Positive Sentiment: Several recent commentaries argue Verizon looks undervalued, citing its roughly 6% dividend yield, strong free-cash-flow generation, and defensive appeal in a volatile market. One note also highlights raised 2026 guidance, mid-single-digit EPS growth expectations, and robust postpaid net adds as signs of improving operating momentum. Article: Verizon: A Unique Opportunity In An Expensive Market
Positive Sentiment: Investors are also focusing on Verizon’s fiber expansion, including the Frontier acquisition, which should broaden its broadband footprint and improve its competitive position versus satellite-based connectivity rivals and other wireless peers. Article: Verizon: Satellite Pessimism Overly Done – Rich Upside And Income Potential Ahead
Positive Sentiment: A market note said Verizon rose while the broader market dipped, reinforcing its image as a defensive stock that can hold up when investors rotate toward steadier income names. Article: Verizon Communications (VZ) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts
Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate for Verizon, but the change was minimal and the firm kept a Hold rating, suggesting only a modest impact on the stock. Source: MarketBeat analyst update
Neutral Sentiment: Other recent articles compare Verizon with AT&T and AST SpaceMobile, but these pieces are mostly relative-value discussions rather than direct catalysts for VZ. Article: VZ vs. ASTS: Which Connectivity Stock is the Better Buy?
Negative Sentiment: Some commentary warns that Verizon still faces limits to future profitability improvement, meaning investors may want to temper expectations even though the stock has defensive qualities. Article: Verizon: A Good Defensive Play In Times Of Market Exuberance

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.04 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $196.43 billion, a PE ratio of 11.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $47.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.45. 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 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

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.