Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Purchased by Strategic Investment Advisors MI

Strategic Investment Advisors MI lifted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 41.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 98,313 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,628 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Advisors MI’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $4,935,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after buying an additional 7,461,335 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Verizon Communications by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,747,930,000 after buying an additional 5,851,715 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,168,080,000 after buying an additional 867,694 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,357,158,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s second-quarter results showed adjusted earnings of $1.30 per share, ahead of the $1.27 consensus, while profit increased year over year. The stock also remains inexpensive relative to communications peers, trading at a low forward earnings multiple and offering a dividend yield above 6%. Verizon After Earnings: Cheap Stock or Value Trap?
• Positive Sentiment: Bain Capital and Tillman Global Holdings announced a $1.5 billion investment in Eaton Fiber, intended to fund Ripple Fiber’s acquisition and accelerate Verizon’s fiber broadband expansion across the United States. The investment could support Verizon’s fixed-wireless and fiber growth without representing a direct funding burden for Verizon. Bain Capital and Tillman Global Holdings Announce $1.5 Billion Investment in Eaton Fiber
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised several price targets, including TD Cowen’s increase to $56 and Morgan Stanley’s increase to $52. Recent commentary also points to improved subscriber growth, lower churn, bundling gains, and potential future revenue from AI infrastructure and data-center connectivity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s earnings beat was tempered by revenue of $34.25 billion, below the $35.16 billion consensus, with revenue down year over year. Analysts remain divided over whether the stock’s discount reflects attractive value or persistent growth concerns. With a 6% Yield, Is Verizon Stock a Buy as Turnaround Continues?
• Negative Sentiment: The immediate pressure came from reports that SpaceX is exploring urban-grade wireless spectrum through acquisitions or a potential federal auction bid. Investors fear a direct satellite-to-mobile competitor could challenge Verizon’s pricing power, customer retention, and market share, weighing on major U.S. wireless carriers. AT&T and Verizon Tumble as Musk’s SpaceX Plots Direct Mobile Threat

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on VZ shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.84.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $47.21 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $197.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $45.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.40.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The company had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.22 EPS. Verizon Communications’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 73.70%.

Verizon Communications Company 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.