16,352 Shares in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Bought by CenterBook Partners LP

CenterBook Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 16,352 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $719,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. MJP Associates Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 10,522 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $462,000 after acquiring an additional 1,009 shares during the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 29.0% in the 3rd quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 24,811 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after purchasing an additional 5,575 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 844,133 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $37,100,000 after purchasing an additional 116,605 shares during the period. Jacobi Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 147,223 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $6,470,000 after purchasing an additional 5,840 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First National Bank of Omaha purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,780,000. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa Capital upgraded Verizon, a bullish broker action that likely helped lift sentiment and buying interest in the stock. Daiwa Capital upgrades Verizon Communications (VZ)
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage shows a constructive tilt: an aggregate “Moderate Buy” consensus helps validate demand among institutional investors and supports the stock’s rebound. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend-focused coverage is highlighting Verizon as a reliable income name this year, which can attract retail and institutional dividend-seeking flows that support the share price. Retirees Are Winning Big in 2026: 3 Popular Dividend Stocks Are Soaring
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying fundamentals remain supportive: Verizon beat Q4 revenue and EPS expectations and set FY2026 EPS guidance near $4.90–4.95, which gives investors confidence in cash flow and dividend coverage. (Company Q4 earnings release)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces are debating whether the recent price rebound already reflects Verizon’s long‑term value — useful reading for investors weighing further entry points versus taking profits. Is Verizon (VZ) Pricing Reflect Long Term Value After Recent Share Price Rebound
• Negative Sentiment: Balance-sheet and liquidity metrics remain points of caution: debt-to-equity is elevated and current/quick ratios are below 1, which could constrain capital flexibility if macro or capex pressures rise.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Evercore boosted 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $49.02.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 1.2%

VZ opened at $49.24 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $50.24. The company has a market capitalization of $207.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $42.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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 forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 68.15%.

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.