Penserra Capital Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Penserra Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 14.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 271,584 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,751 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $11,934,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VZ. Norges Bank bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the second quarter valued at $2,504,150,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 372,787,016 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,130,494,000 after buying an additional 4,615,075 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 208,213,255 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,009,388,000 after acquiring an additional 4,205,449 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 21.5% in the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $915,552,000 after acquiring an additional 3,743,892 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the second quarter worth about $113,004,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VZ. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Verizon Communications from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $44.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.02.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and subscriber strength — Verizon posted a fourth‑quarter earnings and revenue beat and reported sizable wireless subscriber additions, which underpins near‑term revenue momentum and investor confidence. InsiderMonkey Q4/Subscriber Adds
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets — multiple firms have raised price targets or ratings (Citigroup to $50 buy, Evercore/Scotiabank, JPMorgan raised) supporting upside expectations and helping buying interest. Citigroup PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns and cost actions — management is executing cost savings, pursuing a $25B buyback program and recently increased the quarterly dividend, all of which bolster EPS and free‑cash‑flow outlook for 2026. Seeking Alpha: Momentum & Buyback
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media coverage parsing valuation — pieces from Zacks and others are discussing whether the Q4 beat and yield justify repositioning into VZ; useful background but not an immediate catalyst. Zacks Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/flow influence — some of today’s move reflects the S&P 500 Communications Index and sector flows rather than pure company‑specific news. Kalkine Media
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/reputational risk — Senator Maria Cantwell said Verizon (and AT&T) are blocking release of Salt Typhoon security assessment reports and requested CEOs testify before Congress, creating potential regulatory scrutiny and reputational risk. Reuters: Senator on Salt Typhoon
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/competitive escalation — Verizon filed a suit accusing T‑Mobile of false advertising over savings claims; this could intensify competitive spending on promotions and trigger legal costs or a public dispute. Reuters: Verizon sues T‑Mobile
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and margin concerns — an EVP disclosed a sizable share sale and analysts warn that heavy 5G/fiber investment, price‑lock dynamics and margin pressure could limit multiple expansion. SEC Form 4: Russo Sale

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ stock opened at $46.97 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $47.55. The firm has a market cap of $198.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.60, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.33. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The business’s revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

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.