Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Reduces Stock Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund trimmed its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,121,313 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 18,100 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $45,671,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hapanowicz & Associates Financial Services Inc grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Hapanowicz & Associates Financial Services Inc now owns 6,398 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $261,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 158,017 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $6,436,000 after purchasing an additional 5,724 shares during the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 67.9% during the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,328 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,346 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.9% during 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 last quarter. Finally, Avise Financial Cooperative Inc. purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at about $620,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VZ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, reinforcing its reputation as a high-yield income stock and signaling stable cash returns to shareholders. Verizon declares quarterly dividend on June 4, 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary noted Verizon has outperformed over the past several months on the back of subscriber gains, broadband growth, and AI-related initiatives, which may support the stock’s longer-term narrative. VZ Shares Rise 8.6% in Six Months: What’s the Next Move for Investors?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market pieces focused on Verizon’s valuation and dividend appeal, with some arguing the stock is still compelling for income investors while others question whether the upside is limited. Forget Wall Street’s Ultimate Telecom Value Trap and Buy the Real Free Cash Flow King
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s debt tender and exchange offers, along with broader capital-priority discussion, suggest management is actively managing leverage and liquidity, but the move is not an immediate fundamental catalyst. Do Verizon (VZ) Debt Tenders and Dividend Steadiness Hint at a Shifting Capital Priorities Playbook?
• Negative Sentiment: The Supreme Court’s decision in the FCC dispute increases Verizon’s regulatory risk and could lead to continued fines or enforcement actions, weighing on investor sentiment. US Supreme Court backs FCC in clash with wireless carriers over fines
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure from Starlink and concerns about Verizon’s store/customer backlash have widened skepticism about the company’s growth outlook and valuation. Verizon Confronts Store Backlash And Starlink Threat As Valuation Gap Widens

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $45.39 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $189.53 billion, a PE ratio of 11.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.24. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 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.