Altfest L J & Co. Inc. Sells 21,487 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Altfest L J & Co. Inc. decreased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 48.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,144 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 21,487 shares during the quarter. Altfest L J & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $943,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 95.3% during the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 739.5% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 3.6%

VZ stock opened at $46.06 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68. The stock has a market cap of $192.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.29.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The business had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

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

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group issued an optimistic forecast for Verizon’s upcoming earnings, which supports upside expectations for EPS and could reinforce buy-side interest. Erste Group Bank Issues Optimistic Forecast for VZ Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call option activity (≈326k calls bought, ~300% above normal) signals speculative or hedged bullish positioning by options traders and can presage short-term upward pressure if buyers are directional. (market data)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are slightly revising fair value estimates upward as Verizon shows subscriber progress and cost-cutting; but the shift is modest and reflects mixed views on sustainability of margins and disclosure quality. How Verizon (VZ) Story Is Shifting As Cost Cuts Progress And Transparency Concerns Grow
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentators (including Jim Cramer) note Verizon’s operational moves and new leadership as constructive; this supports sentiment but hasn’t erased headwinds from heavy spending and telecom competition. Jim Cramer Says “Verizon’s Actually Got Some Game Here”
• Negative Sentiment: DBS Bank downgraded Verizon from Buy to Hold and set a $52 target, a visible analyst move that can pressure sentiment and prompt some profit-taking after the stock’s strong recent run. DBS Bank Downgrades Verizon (VZ) to Hold Despite Strong Stock Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon is publicly urging shareholders to reject several activist proposals (CEO/chair split, ESG-pay linkage, increased climate oversight). The proxy fight heightens governance uncertainty and could sour some institutional investors ahead of the May 21 annual meeting. How Investors May Respond To Verizon (VZ) Resisting Activist Push On Governance, ESG Pay, And Climate Oversight
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst notes and coverage have spotlighted transparency and disclosure concerns alongside aggressive cost-cutting and heavy fiber/build spending — a combination that raises near-term execution and margin risk. How Verizon (VZ) Story Is Shifting As Cost Cuts Progress And Transparency Concerns Grow

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Verizon Communications from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.56.

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.