Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Position Boosted by Smartleaf Asset Management LLC

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 36.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 59,191 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 15,868 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $2,560,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Alps Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 762,083 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $33,494,000 after acquiring an additional 61,941 shares in the last quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 9.2% during the third quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 14,919 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $652,000 after purchasing an additional 1,261 shares during the last quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 9.5% during the third quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 67,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $2,962,000 after purchasing an additional 5,823 shares during the last quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 66.4% in the 3rd quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 110,896 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,796,000 after purchasing an additional 44,241 shares during the period. Finally, Renasant Bank purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter worth about $275,000. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst upgrades and bullish notes lifted momentum and helped extend the rally, with coverage citing higher target prices and “buy”/outperform views that attracted short‑term buyers. Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Up 1.6% After Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Income investors are re‑rating Verizon because it appears on multiple recent lists of high‑yield dividend picks, supporting steady demand from dividend/seeking portfolios. 3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks Perfect For Retirees
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted VZ as a top‑ranked momentum stock under its style scores — this can draw quant/momentum flows but doesn’t guarantee fundamental change. Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Top-Ranked Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of AST SpaceMobile and its 2026 launch targets (a partner/adjacent play for telecoms) is being watched for potential upside exposure, but execution risks keep this as an uncertain catalyst. Can SpaceX Rival AST SpaceMobile Meet Its 2026 Launch Targets? (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon’s consumer‑unit CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath is stepping down amid a companywide turnaround under new CEO Dan Schulman — management turnover raises near‑term execution and strategy questions for the core wireless business. Verizon’s Consumer Unit CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath to Step Down
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon filed suit accusing T‑Mobile of false advertising — the legal fight could be a distraction and pose litigation costs, though it may also be intended to blunt competitive messaging. Verizon Wireless sues T-Mobile, alleges false advertising

Verizon Communications Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of VZ stock opened at $46.32 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.73. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $47.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $195.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.44, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.33.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The business 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 firm earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. This is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane cut 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. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.02.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.