Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Boosts Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 559.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,980,519 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,680,341 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $80,667,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 0.3% in 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 grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during 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 buying an additional 7,276,809 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the second quarter worth approximately $2,504,150,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of 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 worth $1,989,427,000 after acquiring an additional 557,576 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of 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 worth $1,238,866,000 after acquiring an additional 1,203,445 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Barclays began coverage on Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 target price for the company. William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.32.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Momentum + buyback: Market commentary highlights Verizon’s Q4 beat, best postpaid net adds in years, a $25B buyback and a 5.5% yield — catalysts cited for the year‑to‑date rally and improved investor sentiment. 2 Mega-Cap Stocks Worth Your Attention and 1 We Turn Down
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~16% in March to ~95.3M shares (2.3% of float) and a days‑to‑cover near 3.8 — lessening immediate downside pressure from short squeezes and supporting the uptrend.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and media endorsements: A recent price target raise to $55 and multiple buy/coverage pieces argue Verizon can run further given improved free cash flow and the income trade into high‑yield names. Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Raised to $55.00
• Positive Sentiment: Inclusion in high‑yield defensive lists: Several outlet roundups feature VZ as a defensive, high‑yield option (20‑year dividend growth streak), which helps attract income‑focused flows amid market volatility. 5 High-Yield Stocks to Shield Your Portfolio From the Storm (VZ)
• Neutral Sentiment: Customer engagement initiatives (FIFA World Cup ticket promotions) are marketing wins that may modestly help churn/ARPU but have limited near‑term earnings impact. All the ways Verizon customers can win free tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2026™
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro backdrop: With rate‑cut hopes fading, investors are rotating into high‑yield, defensive names — a structural tailwind for VZ but dependent on broader market direction. Interest Rate Cut Hopes Are Over: Buy These Safe 5% High Yield Kings Now
• Negative Sentiment: Business segment pressure: Analysts note dips in business‑segment revenue amid rising costs and competitive pressure; success depends on execution of 5G/enterprise initiatives — a medium‑term risk to margins and growth. Can Verizon’s Business Segment Portfolio Generate Future Profit?

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $50.91 on Wednesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company has a market capitalization of $214.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.31. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $46.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.12.

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

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.