Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Decreases Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lowered its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 23.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 131,077 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 41,219 shares during the quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $5,761,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hudock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hudock Inc. now owns 39,842 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,724,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 2.9% in the third quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 8,571 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.3% during the third quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 71,541 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,144,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Camden National Bank increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.6% during the second quarter. Camden National Bank now owns 5,666 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FRG Family Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.8% during the second quarter. FRG Family Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,517 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $628,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE:VZ opened at $48.90 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $206.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.33. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $43.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.33. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $50.47.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion during 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 business’s revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current 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 given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VZ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. 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 research report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.02.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon closed its Frontier asset acquisition and rolled out a transformation plan targeting several billion dollars in annual cost savings while integrating industry‑wide APIs via Aduna—moves that should expand fiber scale and improve margins. Verizon Reshapes Fiber, Costs And Enterprise Services With Frontier And Aduna
• Positive Sentiment: Aduna reached a milestone securing CAMARA‑compliant U.S. network API coverage with backing from AT&T, T‑Mobile and Verizon, strengthening Verizon’s ability to sell standardized network intelligence to large enterprises. Aduna Reaches Milestone as a Leading Provider of U.S. Network APIs
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and outlets continue to highlight Verizon as a value/momentum/dividend name given recent performance, steady cash flow and yield — supporting investor interest from income and value buyers. Here’s Why Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Strong Value Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Industry reports highlight a growing 5G smart‑stadium and venue market where Verizon is listed among key players — reinforcing long‑term demand for Verizon’s 5G and edge services. Fifth Generation (5G)-Powered Smart Stadiums Analysis Report 2026-2035
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Dan Schulman will speak at the Morgan Stanley TMT conference on March 2; the webcast could prompt volatility or new guidance commentary but is not expected to change fundamentals by itself. Verizon to speak at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 2
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes show modest analyst target‑price tweaks (around $49–$50), reflecting slight recalibration rather than a consensus re‑rating. How The Verizon Communications (VZ) Investment Narrative Is Shifting As Analysts Rework Price Targets
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~34.8% in mid‑February to ~148.3M shares (~3.5% of float), increasing potential selling pressure and amplifying downside risk if momentum or headlines flip negative. (Short‑interest data reported 2/25/2026)

Verizon Communications Company 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.