Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Purchased by Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 9.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,933,697 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 172,631 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $97,072,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors increased its position in Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the 4th quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon was a major winner in the FCC’s first spectrum auction in four years, bidding about $3.2 billion for mid-band wireless licenses. The added spectrum could improve network capacity and long-term service quality, which is constructive for Verizon’s growth outlook. Reuters article on Verizon spectrum bids
• Positive Sentiment: Array Digital Infrastructure completed the sale of a portion of its spectrum license to Verizon for $1.0 billion, reinforcing Verizon’s willingness to invest in strategic wireless assets and expand its spectrum position. Yahoo Finance article on Array Digital Infrastructure sale to Verizon
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and fair-value revisions were mixed but slightly constructive, with one report saying Verizon’s estimated fair value edged higher after revisions. That suggests the market still sees value in the stock despite near-term uncertainties. Yahoo Finance article on Verizon fair value
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon confirmed it will report second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 24, keeping attention on subscriber trends, wireless pricing, and capital spending plans. GlobeNewswire earnings date announcement
• Negative Sentiment: SpaceX reportedly plans a Starlink mobile service for U.S. consumers and may eventually build its own mobile network, which could intensify competition for Verizon in wireless connectivity and pressure future growth expectations. FT report on SpaceX Starlink mobile service

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.8%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $46.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $46.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.83. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $193.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Dbs Bank downgraded Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.59.

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.