Bessemer Group Inc. Reduces Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Posted by Stanley Muller on Jul 17th, 2026

Verizon Communications logo Bessemer Group Inc. reduced its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Free Report) by 2.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,332,840 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 99,793 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of Verizon Communications worth $167,308,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VZ. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth about $2,357,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 31.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 31,584,162 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,286,423,000 after buying an additional 7,509,055 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,080,810,000 after buying an additional 7,461,335 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,747,930,000 after acquiring an additional 5,851,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $15,453,058,000 after acquiring an additional 5,497,598 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Verizon Communications News

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

Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s store divestitures and layoffs could lower operating costs and support margins as the company restructures its retail footprint. VZ Stock Rises — Verizon Moves To Slash Costs With Major Store Shakeup
Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised multiple earnings estimates for Verizon, including FY2027 EPS to $5.40, suggesting analysts see improving profitability ahead.
Positive Sentiment: Verizon is also benefiting from signs of operational strength, including strong wireless network quality rankings and a new BMW connected-car partnership that could expand 5G and IoT revenue opportunities. Wireless Network Quality Returns to Record High, JD Power Finds
Neutral Sentiment: Scotiabank lowered its price target to $51.50 from $54.50 but kept a “sector outperform” rating, so the note was cautious but not bearish.
Negative Sentiment: The restructuring includes significant layoffs and store sales, which can signal pressure on the core business and create near-term disruption for employees and operations. Verizon to shed 274 stores, lay off another 500 corporate employees

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on VZ. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.50 to $51.50 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.09.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on VZ

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $43.84 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $183.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $45.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.09. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $34.44 billion for 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%. Verizon Communications’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.5%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.