Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Acquires 67,162 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jun 28th, 2026

Verizon Communications logo Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Free Report) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,572,692 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 67,162 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $78,949,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Avanza Fonder AB raised its position in Verizon Communications by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $13,521,000 after purchasing an additional 17,495 shares during the period. Econ Financial Services Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,184,000 after purchasing an additional 14,862 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 41.0% in the 4th 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 during the period. Clarity Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 697.0% during the 4th quarter. Clarity Financial LLC now owns 471,127 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $19,189,000 after purchasing an additional 412,018 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 2,382,975 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $97,059,000 after purchasing an additional 316,854 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ stock opened at $46.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $46.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.83. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The firm has a market cap of $193.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The business’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: Verizon was a major winner in the FCC’s first spectrum auction in four years, bidding about $3.2 billion for mid-band wireless licenses. The added spectrum could improve network capacity and long-term service quality, which is constructive for Verizon’s growth outlook. Reuters article on Verizon spectrum bids
Positive Sentiment: Array Digital Infrastructure completed the sale of a portion of its spectrum license to Verizon for $1.0 billion, reinforcing Verizon’s willingness to invest in strategic wireless assets and expand its spectrum position. Yahoo Finance article on Array Digital Infrastructure sale to Verizon
Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and fair-value revisions were mixed but slightly constructive, with one report saying Verizon’s estimated fair value edged higher after revisions. That suggests the market still sees value in the stock despite near-term uncertainties. Yahoo Finance article on Verizon fair value
Neutral Sentiment: Verizon confirmed it will report second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 24, keeping attention on subscriber trends, wireless pricing, and capital spending plans. GlobeNewswire earnings date announcement
Negative Sentiment: SpaceX reportedly plans a Starlink mobile service for U.S. consumers and may eventually build its own mobile network, which could intensify competition for Verizon in wireless connectivity and pressure future growth expectations. FT report on SpaceX Starlink mobile service

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VZ has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Profile

(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.