Avanza Fonder AB Boosts Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Avanza Fonder AB raised its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,495 shares during the quarter. Avanza Fonder AB’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $13,521,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VZ. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Verizon Communications by 0.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 373,904,749 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,433,114,000 after buying an additional 1,117,733 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,470,788,000 after acquiring an additional 7,276,809 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the second quarter worth about $2,504,150,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.2% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 45,265,695 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,989,427,000 after acquiring an additional 557,576 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 4.5% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,188,066 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,238,866,000 after acquiring an additional 1,203,445 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade and price-target raise: VZ was lifted by at least one analyst raising its price target to $55 and subsequent coverage noting the stronger outlook, which supports near-term buying. Price Target Raised to $55
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum from earnings, buyback and subscriber gains: Recent commentary highlights Verizon’s strong Q4 (postpaid phone adds, revenue beat), a $25B buyback, improved free cash flow and 5G demand — fundamentals that have driven a YTD rally and support further upside. Verizon Stock Is Soaring in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Yield and defensive appeal: Multiple outlets are listing VZ as a high‑yield, low‑volatility name (5%+ yield, long dividend growth streak), making it attractive in a risk‑off market and drawing institutional inflows. This income story is supporting multiple buyers. 5 High-Yield Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Macro backdrop favors high-yield names: Commentary that interest‑rate cut hopes may be delayed has pushed investors toward reliable dividend payers; that dynamic benefits Verizon relative to growth names. Interest Rate Cut Hopes Are Over
• Neutral Sentiment: Customer engagement promotion: Verizon announced multiple FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket sweepstakes and promotions to boost customer engagement and brand loyalty; positive PR but limited immediate financial impact. FIFA World Cup Promotions
• Negative Sentiment: Business segment pressure: Coverage notes that Business revenues have dipped amid rising costs and competition, which could weigh on margins if enterprise 5G and solutions don’t scale fast enough — a watchpoint for investors despite longer-term 5G opportunity. Business Segment Outlook

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 in the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $50.65 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $213.64 billion, a PE ratio of 12.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.30.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 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 for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. 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 fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.15%.

Verizon Communications Company 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.