Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. Raises Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 16.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 157,849 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,112 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications makes up approximately 1.0% of Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $6,429,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Monetary Management Group Inc. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 30,400 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Hughes Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 5,035 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Hager Investment Management Services LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 26.2% in the 3rd quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 9,025 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Evercore upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.98 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.35. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $200.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.70, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

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

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced tender offers, exchange offers, and consent solicitations for multiple series of notes, a move that could help streamline debt, reduce financing complexity, and support long-term balance sheet management. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Verizon as a top-ranked growth stock and noted that the company continues to draw investor attention, which can reinforce the view that the stock remains attractive on valuation and fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles focus on Verizon’s status as a watched name and on broader commentary about its investment story, suggesting steady market interest rather than a clear new catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s ongoing layoffs and AI-related restructuring may improve efficiency over time, but they also signal that management is still working through a major cost-reset and transition period. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary flagged Verizon as one of the communication-services names most exposed to rising rates, since its dividend becomes less competitive versus Treasuries and investors may rotate away from telecom income stocks. Article Title

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.