Inspire Trust Co. N.A. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Free Report) by 11.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 147,000 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares during the quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $5,987,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the third quarter worth $29,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% in the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.
More Verizon Communications News
Here are the key news stories impacting Verizon Communications this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Verizon shareholders approved the company’s 2026 long-term incentive plan at the annual meeting, a sign of continued support for management’s compensation and retention framework. Verizon Shareholders Approve 2026 Long-Term Incentive Plan
- Positive Sentiment: Investor articles highlighted Verizon as a sub-$50 cash-flow and dividend-style stock that can still look attractive even with elevated Treasury yields, reinforcing the appeal of its steady earnings and income profile. The Sub-$50 Institutional Cash-Flow Machine That Remains Attractive Despite High Risk Free Yields
- Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting Verizon has been trading in the green for multiple sessions and remains a trending stock suggests improving near-term sentiment around the shares. Verizon trades in green for the seventh session
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst-style articles also pointed to Verizon’s role in the growing 5G and AI connectivity theme, which can support the bull case for longer-term revenue opportunities. AI Can’t Reach the Real World Without These 3 Stocks
Insider Activity
In other news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.
Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.4%
Verizon Communications stock opened at $48.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $200.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.71, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.24. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $47.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.05. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. 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 (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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
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.
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