Welch & Forbes LLC Sells 24,900 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Welch & Forbes LLC cut its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 3.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 702,159 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 24,900 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $30,860,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VZ. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 16,704 shares during the period. Cooper Financial Group increased its position in Verizon Communications by 68.0% in the second quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 9,301 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 3,765 shares during the period. Pure Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 50.9% during the 2nd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 24,610 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,065,000 after purchasing an additional 8,299 shares during the last quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 10,106 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the period. Finally, Vicus Capital lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vicus Capital now owns 12,676 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $548,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $44.52 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a market capitalization of $187.70 billion, a PE ratio of 9.51, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.34. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $47.35.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 14.43%.The company had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be paid a $0.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $2.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 58.97%.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on EPS and revenue — Verizon reported $1.09 EPS vs. consensus $1.06 and revenue of $36.38B, topping estimates and showing 2% year-over-year revenue growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance — management set guidance of $4.90–$4.95, above consensus, improving forward earnings visibility and supporting valuation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Strong subscriber momentum — Verizon logged its highest quarterly wireless net adds in years (notably large postpaid phone adds), a primary driver of the upside in revenue and service growth metrics. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Capital return program — management outlined a large buyback program (cited in call writeups), which supports EPS and signals confidence in cash flow. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity — heavy call buying was reported intraday, consistent with speculative/hedged bullish positioning by some investors. (Options volume report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational resilience highlighted — company actions to harden networks for winter storms were noted; supports customer experience but is a longer-term benefit. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive media/analyst writeups emphasize value after the beat, framing VZ as an income + growth story for yield-seeking investors. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and cost risks called out — deeper analysis warns that aggressive subscriber promotions, the Frontier deal and integration/unit economics could pressure margins and near-term earnings visibility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target cut — Wells Fargo trimmed its target in a sector reassessment, a reminder that some shops remain cautious on wireless pricing and capital intensity. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Dividend-safety concerns re-surfacing — articles questioning sustainability of the ~7% yield could weigh on long-term income-focused demand if cash flow dynamics shift. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Minor institutional selling — a small manager reduced its position, noted in filings; not a major red flag but adds to mixed signals. Read More.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $41.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. BNP Paribas Exane lowered Verizon Communications from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $44.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $47.43.

About Verizon Communications

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.