CPC Advisors LLC Raises Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

CPC Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 24.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,882 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 13,606 shares during the quarter. CPC Advisors LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $2,846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 1,117,733 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 7,276,809 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 557,576 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 1,203,445 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 646,537 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VZ has been the topic of a number of research reports. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $49.00 price target on the stock. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.56.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.3%

VZ opened at $46.31 on Wednesday. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.75. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $193.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.29.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its earnings results 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.10 EPS. 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 4.9 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 69.88%.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Partnerships in space-based connectivity reinforce Verizon’s growth optionality beyond core wireless — AST SpaceMobile remains a strategic partner, which supports Verizon’s potential to expand coverage and new services over time. AST SpaceMobile Drops 15% After Blue Origin Satellite Mishap
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and regional investor notes highlight Verizon’s balance-sheet stability and defensive cash flows, which support its dividend and make VZ a defensive play in telecom markets. Verizon Shows Strong Stability
• Neutral Sentiment: Outlook and near-term earnings expectations are mixed — some previews show expected EPS growth but warn Verizon may lack the setup for a clear earnings “beat,” leaving investors cautious ahead of future reports. Verizon Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Dan Schulman’s public warnings about mass job losses from rapid AI adoption have raised investor concerns about macro demand, potential regulatory scrutiny, and reputational risk — comments have drawn headlines that can dampen sentiment and boost short-term volatility. Verizon CEO AI Warning Puts Job Risks And Valuation In Focus Verizon’s Dan Schulman Tells CEOs to Be Open About AI Job Cuts

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,189,100. The trade was 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 valued at $10,780,356 in the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently 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.