Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Sold by Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC decreased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 77.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,457 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 85,473 shares during the quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 95.3% during the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 739.5% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 52.4% during the 2nd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 782 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: High, rising dividend and yield support income buying — outlets note Verizon’s >5% yield and that the company continues to raise payouts, which attracts yield-focused investors and underpins downside. These Companies Pay 5% Dividend Yields, and They’re Hiking Them Too
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic actions (CEO cost cuts, $25B buyback authorization, Frontier acquisition expanding fiber) and guidance for rising free cash flow are cited as medium-term catalysts that support upside once macro sentiment stabilizes. The War Won’t Last Forever: 3 Stocks That Could Lead the Recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimate tweak: Erste Group nudged FY2027 EPS forecasts slightly higher and maintains a bullish stance, a vote of confidence that can help sentiment among value investors and long-term holders.
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation / pullback analysis: Several outlets weigh whether the recent week/month pullback creates a buying opportunity given multi-year gains and a lower relative price — useful context for value-oriented traders deciding entry points. Is Verizon Communications (VZ) Offering An Opportunity After Recent Share Price Pullback?
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/marketing ruling: The National Advertising Division found Verizon’s disclosures around a promotional price increase to be adequate — removes a small regulatory/PR overhang but is unlikely to move the stock materially. In Fast-Track SWIFT Challenge, National Advertising Division Finds Verizon Wireless Pricing Disclosures Adequate
• Negative Sentiment: DBS Bank downgrade (Buy → Hold, $52 PT) signals some sell-side skepticism that the rally has priced in much of the near-term upside; such downgrades can prompt profit-taking. Verizon Cut to Hold at DBS Bank: Is the Telecom Giant Running Out of Upside?
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder proposals on board structure, climate oversight and ESG/DEI-linked pay have drawn proxy advisory scrutiny — governance fights can increase volatility and complicate investor sentiment into the AGM. Verizon Shareholder Push Raises Questions On Governance Climate Oversight And Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Dividend durability debate: comparative pieces flag nuance versus peers (e.g., AT&T) and discuss potential pressures — the debate can unsettle some income investors and create selling pressure if concerns spread. Verizon vs. AT&T: One Telecom Dividend Is on Shaky Ground

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on VZ shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. 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. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. William Blair raised shares of Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.56.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 1.3%

VZ stock opened at $47.98 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $49.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.57. The company has a market capitalization of $202.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, equities research 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This is an increase 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.9%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

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.