Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management increased its Verizon stake by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 168,597 shares and bringing its total to 4.31 million shares worth about $175.5 million.
• Verizon continues to attract institutional interest, with hedge funds and other investors owning 62.06% of the company’s stock, while several firms recently raised their positions as well.
• Verizon recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, and analysts remain mixed but generally constructive, with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and an average price target of $50.59.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,309,428 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after acquiring an additional 168,597 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications makes up about 1.2% of Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.10% of Verizon Communications worth $175,523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avanza Fonder AB increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $13,521,000 after purchasing an additional 17,495 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 14.0% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $16,665,000 after purchasing an additional 46,699 shares during the period. Econ Financial Services Corp boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $3,184,000 after buying an additional 14,862 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $6,196,000 after buying an additional 21,915 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,667,402 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $161,182,000 after buying an additional 99,400 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, reinforcing its reputation as a high-yield income stock and signaling stable cash returns to shareholders. Verizon declares quarterly dividend on June 4, 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary noted Verizon has outperformed over the past several months on the back of subscriber gains, broadband growth, and AI-related initiatives, which may support the stock’s longer-term narrative. VZ Shares Rise 8.6% in Six Months: What's the Next Move for Investors?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market pieces focused on Verizon’s valuation and dividend appeal, with some arguing the stock is still compelling for income investors while others question whether the upside is limited. Forget Wall Street’s Ultimate Telecom Value Trap and Buy the Real Free Cash Flow King
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s debt tender and exchange offers, along with broader capital-priority discussion, suggest management is actively managing leverage and liquidity, but the move is not an immediate fundamental catalyst. Do Verizon (VZ) Debt Tenders and Dividend Steadiness Hint at a Shifting Capital Priorities Playbook?
• Negative Sentiment: The Supreme Court’s decision in the FCC dispute increases Verizon’s regulatory risk and could lead to continued fines or enforcement actions, weighing on investor sentiment. US Supreme Court backs FCC in clash with wireless carriers over fines
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure from Starlink and concerns about Verizon’s store/customer backlash have widened skepticism about the company’s growth outlook and valuation. Verizon Confronts Store Backlash And Starlink Threat As Valuation Gap Widens

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on VZ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. One 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ stock opened at $45.39 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $47.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.30. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $189.53 billion, a PE ratio of 11.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.24.

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, topping 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 business posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is presently 69.02%.

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.

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