J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Sells 42,505 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. cut its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 11.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 343,540 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 42,505 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $13,052,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Prudential PLC boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 533,691 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $21,737,000 after purchasing an additional 9,707 shares during the period. Avise Financial Cooperative Inc. bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at $620,000. Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 53.3% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 186,136 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $7,581,000 after purchasing an additional 64,756 shares during the period. Sittner & Nelson LLC boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 17.2% in the 4th quarter. Sittner & Nelson LLC now owns 18,648 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $760,000 after purchasing an additional 2,730 shares during the period. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 2,382,975 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $97,059,000 after purchasing an additional 316,854 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon declared its regular quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, unchanged from the prior quarter, which reinforces the company’s appeal to income-focused investors. Verizon declares quarterly dividend on June 4, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon reported the results of its 2026 annual shareholder meeting, where shareholders elected all nine director nominees. This is routine governance news and does not appear to materially change the investment outlook. Verizon Communications (VZ) Announced Results for Annual 2026 Shareholder Meeting
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court backed the FCC’s fine-collection process in a case involving Verizon and AT&T, removing a legal challenge that wireless carriers had hoped might limit regulatory penalties. Investors may view this as a modest negative for carrier risk exposure. US Supreme Court backs FCC in clash with wireless carriers over fines
• Negative Sentiment: Recent market coverage also highlighted Verizon’s weaker trading session versus the broader market, and another report noted operational friction from a strict in-store policy that could frustrate customers. Together, these items point to short-term sentiment pressure on the stock. Why Verizon Communications (VZ) Dipped More Than Broader Market Today

Verizon Communications Price Performance

NYSE:VZ opened at $44.87 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $47.64 and a 200-day moving average of $45.27. The company has a market capitalization of $187.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.94, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.02%.

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.