AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Buys 71,961 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its Verizon stake by 22.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 71,961 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 389,540 shares worth about $15.9 million.
• Verizon reported better-than-expected earnings of $1.28 per share for the latest quarter, although revenue came in slightly below estimates at $34.44 billion. The company also reiterated FY 2026 EPS guidance of 4.950–4.990.
• Recent news around Verizon has been mostly positive, including FCC approval of its $1 billion spectrum purchase from U.S. Cellular and progress on a satellite-based venture to improve rural coverage, though insider selling and ongoing cost-cutting efforts remain notable.

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 22.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 389,540 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 71,961 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $15,866,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 9,257 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $377,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 0.8% during the second quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 30,400 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,315,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $46.44 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $193.90 billion, a PE ratio of 11.33, a P/E/G 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. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $48.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.48. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on VZ. Barclays boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.59.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FCC approved Verizon’s $1 billion purchase of spectrum assets from U.S. Cellular, a move that should expand Verizon’s network capacity and coverage and strengthen its competitive position. FCC approves Verizon's $1 billion spectrum purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon joined AT&T and T-Mobile in a proposed satellite-based joint venture aimed at closing rural wireless dead zones, which could improve service quality, coverage reliability, and the industry’s long-term growth narrative. Verizon Joins Rivals On Satellite Venture Reshaping Coverage And Investor Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon closed a $4 billion junior subordinated notes offering, which was framed as strengthening its capital structure and supporting refinancing/funding flexibility. Verizon Strengthens Capital Structure with $4 Billion Notes
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish piece highlighted Verizon as one of 2026’s top defensive picks, citing undervaluation, a well-covered dividend, and potential upside over the next year. Why Verizon Is One of Our Top Defensive Picks In 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on Verizon’s competitive position versus T-Mobile, customer retention, and a customer-facing website blocking issue; these are more mixed in nature and do not clearly change the near-term investment case. T-Mobile vs. Verizon: Is It Time to Choose a New Carrier?
• Negative Sentiment: A report on new layoffs suggests Verizon is still pushing hard on cost cuts and restructuring, which may help margins but can also signal pressure on operations and demand. Verizon Announces New Layoffs as Cost-Cutting Continues Into 2026
• Negative Sentiment: One article warned that Verizon’s latest phone plan changes could push away customers, reinforcing concerns about churn in a highly competitive wireless market. Verizon’s latest phone plan change may drive away consumers

Insider Activity

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

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.

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