Assetmark Inc. Acquires 12,224 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,679,626 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,224 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of Verizon Communications worth $149,871,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 373,904,749 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,433,114,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117,733 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,470,788,000 after purchasing an additional 7,276,809 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 45,265,695 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,989,427,000 after purchasing an additional 557,576 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.5% in the 3rd 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 purchasing an additional 1,203,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 22,592,460 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $992,939,000 after purchasing an additional 646,537 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend demand supporting interest — Verizon is being highlighted in recent roundups of high‑yield dividend stocks, which can attract income‑focused buyers and help stabilize the share price over time. Want $5,790 in Passive Income?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor appetite for dividend stocks remains strong — broader lists of “red‑hot” dividend names include Verizon, reinforcing yield‑driven demand that can support the stock despite short‑term volatility. Dividend Stocks Are Red-Hot With Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings event is a near‑term catalyst — multiple previews urge investors to consider whether to buy before the April 27 earnings release; that event will likely drive volatility depending on subscriber trends, service revenue, and guidance. Should You Buy Verizon Communications Stock Before April 27?
• Neutral Sentiment: Elevated investor attention — Zacks notes heavy search/coverage of VZ, which can amplify moves but is not a directional signal by itself; monitor flows and headlines. Investors Heavily Search Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term selling pressure — coverage notes VZ pulled back while the broader market rose, signaling relative weakness and profit‑taking into rallies. Verizon Communications (VZ) Stock Slides as Market Rises
• Negative Sentiment: Recent drop in price momentum — follow‑up coverage flagged a larger pullback earlier in the week, reflecting investor caution ahead of earnings and weighing on near‑term technicals. Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Down 3.6%

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VZ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.56.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of VZ stock opened at $45.36 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $189.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.29. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.64.

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

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.88%.

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.