Allworth Financial LP Increases Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Allworth Financial LP boosted its Verizon stake by 23.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 485,539 shares valued at about $19.8 million. Several other institutional investors also added positions, and hedge funds/institutions now own 62.06% of Verizon stock.
• Verizon saw notable insider selling: SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares and Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares. Those transactions reduced their ownership stakes, though insiders still own only 0.03% of the company.
• The company has several strategic developments underway, including FCC approval for its $1 billion spectrum purchase from U.S. Cellular and a $4 billion notes offering tied to debt restructuring. Verizon also recently beat quarterly EPS expectations, even as analysts maintain a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy.”

Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 23.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 485,539 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 91,014 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $19,776,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the third quarter valued at $29,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were 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 owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FCC approved Verizon’s $1 billion spectrum purchase from U.S. Cellular, removing a key regulatory hurdle and supporting Verizon’s efforts to expand network capacity and coverage. FCC approves Verizon's $1 billion spectrum purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon also launched a $4 billion junior subordinated notes offering and related debt exchange/tender activity, which suggests management is actively restructuring and extending its capital profile to improve financial flexibility. Verizon Strengthens Capital Structure with $4 Billion Notes
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile said they plan to form a joint venture to improve rural coverage using satellite-based technology, a move that could improve service quality and reduce long-term coverage gaps. US wireless carriers to launch joint venture to address rural dead zones
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon announced additional layoffs as part of a broader cost-cutting and AI automation push, which may help margins but also signals ongoing restructuring pressure. Verizon Announces New Layoffs as Cost-Cutting Continues Into 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern remains around Verizon’s heavy debt load and the need for repeated capital-structure changes, which can raise questions about balance-sheet risk even as the company refinances and reorganizes its obligations. Verizon Debt Moves Reshape Capital Structure And Investor Risk Profile
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary also points to customer-retention pressure and plan changes that could drive churn, offsetting the more constructive news on spectrum and network expansion. Verizon’s latest phone plan change may drive away consumers

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on VZ shares. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The company's fifty day moving average price is $48.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.47. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $196.39 billion, a PE ratio of 11.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 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 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 company earned $1.19 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter 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. On average, analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

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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