Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Acquired by Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.

Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 43.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 82,486 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,150 shares during the quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $3,625,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lion Street Advisors LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 68.3% during the third quarter. Lion Street Advisors LLC now owns 8,057 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 3,269 shares during the period. Kidder Stephen W boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kidder Stephen W now owns 7,982 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 1,018 shares in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 175,068 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $7,694,000 after acquiring an additional 15,983 shares during the period. Convergence Financial LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. Convergence Financial LLC now owns 14,829 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $652,000 after purchasing an additional 2,782 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Berkeley Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 59,171 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $2,601,000 after purchasing an additional 1,476 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on VZ. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.02.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was 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 directly owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 1.2%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $49.24 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $42.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $42.14. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $50.24. The stock has a market cap of $207.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.33. 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 (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company 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 represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.