113,023 Shares in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Acquired by Katamaran Capital LLP

Key Points

• Katamaran Capital LLP initiated a new position in Verizon, buying 113,023 shares valued at about $4.6 million. The stake represents roughly 3.5% of the fund’s portfolio and is its 11th largest holding.
• Several analysts have recently turned more positive on Verizon, with price targets lifted by firms including Evercore, Morgan Stanley, RBC, and Scotiabank. The stock now carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $50.59.
• Verizon’s latest quarterly results beat earnings expectations, posting $1.28 EPS versus the expected $1.21, while revenue grew 2.7% year over year to $34.44 billion. Management also guided FY2026 EPS to 4.95–4.99.

Katamaran Capital LLP bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 113,023 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock, valued at approximately $4,603,000. Verizon Communications makes up approximately 3.5% of Katamaran Capital LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VZ. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 16,704 shares during the period. United Bank increased its position in Verizon Communications by 11.5% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $339,000 after buying an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC increased its position in Verizon Communications by 312.0% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,023,000 after buying an additional 17,901 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its position in Verizon Communications by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,779,000 after buying an additional 6,034 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.2% in the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Evercore increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. KeyCorp reiterated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ stock opened at $47.21 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $48.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market cap of $197.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 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.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. The company's revenue 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, research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current year.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon will have CEO Dan Schulman speak at two upcoming investor conferences, giving management a chance to outline strategy, answer questions on the business outlook, and potentially reinforce confidence in the company’s execution. Verizon to Speak at Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Verizon to $4.96 from $4.92, signaling slightly better earnings expectations and suggesting analysts see stable fundamentals ahead. Verizon Communications (VZ) Surged from Excellent Execution
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s broader fiber expansion and buyback plans continue to support the investment case, as the company now has a larger fiber footprint and a $25 billion repurchase authorization that can help offset share dilution and support per-share metrics. Verizon Weighs Frontier Fiber Expansion Against Buybacks And Cost Cuts
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon also confirmed a few hundred job cuts as part of an ongoing operational revamp. The move supports cost discipline, but it is not large enough on its own to materially change the near-term earnings outlook. Verizon cutting a few hundred jobs nationwide

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

About Verizon Communications

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.

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