New York Life Investment Management LLC Grows Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 7.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 615,406 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 41,621 shares during the quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $27,047,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gables Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 17.0% during the third quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. now owns 42,153 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,853,000 after purchasing an additional 6,138 shares during the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 8,551 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $376,000 after buying an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 55.8% during the 3rd quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 22,901 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,007,000 after buying an additional 8,201 shares in the last quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 43.6% during the 3rd quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,091 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $353,000 after acquiring an additional 2,457 shares during the last quarter. Finally, German American Bancorp Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. German American Bancorp Inc. now owns 8,316 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ opened at $46.32 on Monday. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.73. The firm has a market cap of $195.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.44, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.33. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $47.58.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released 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. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. 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 dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VZ has been the topic of a number of research reports. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.02.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst upgrades and bullish notes lifted momentum and helped extend the rally, with coverage citing higher target prices and “buy”/outperform views that attracted short‑term buyers. Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Up 1.6% After Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Income investors are re‑rating Verizon because it appears on multiple recent lists of high‑yield dividend picks, supporting steady demand from dividend/seeking portfolios. 3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks Perfect For Retirees
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted VZ as a top‑ranked momentum stock under its style scores — this can draw quant/momentum flows but doesn’t guarantee fundamental change. Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Top-Ranked Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of AST SpaceMobile and its 2026 launch targets (a partner/adjacent play for telecoms) is being watched for potential upside exposure, but execution risks keep this as an uncertain catalyst. Can SpaceX Rival AST SpaceMobile Meet Its 2026 Launch Targets? (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon’s consumer‑unit CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath is stepping down amid a companywide turnaround under new CEO Dan Schulman — management turnover raises near‑term execution and strategy questions for the core wireless business. Verizon’s Consumer Unit CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath to Step Down
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon filed suit accusing T‑Mobile of false advertising — the legal fight could be a distraction and pose litigation costs, though it may also be intended to blunt competitive messaging. Verizon Wireless sues T-Mobile, alleges false advertising

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.