Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. Reduces Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors cut its stake in Verizon by 19.6%, selling 58,173 shares and leaving 239,114 shares valued at about $9.74 million per its most recent 13F filing.
• Company insiders sold a total of 218,148 shares last quarter (≈$10.78 million), including Director Hans Erik Vestberg's sale of 200,000 shares (~$9.92 million).
• Verizon raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (annualized $2.83) for a ~6.1% yield, and analysts hold a consensus Moderate Buy rating with an average price target of $50.56.

Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. lowered its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 19.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 239,114 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 58,173 shares during the period. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $9,739,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 95.3% in the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 739.5% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the period. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 52.4% during the second quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 782 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 269 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.56.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 3.6%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $46.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $192.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.37, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $49.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.62. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.Verizon Communications's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.88%.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group issued an optimistic forecast for Verizon’s upcoming earnings, which supports upside expectations for EPS and could reinforce buy-side interest. Erste Group Bank Issues Optimistic Forecast for VZ Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call option activity (≈326k calls bought, ~300% above normal) signals speculative or hedged bullish positioning by options traders and can presage short-term upward pressure if buyers are directional. (market data)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are slightly revising fair value estimates upward as Verizon shows subscriber progress and cost-cutting; but the shift is modest and reflects mixed views on sustainability of margins and disclosure quality. How Verizon (VZ) Story Is Shifting As Cost Cuts Progress And Transparency Concerns Grow
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentators (including Jim Cramer) note Verizon’s operational moves and new leadership as constructive; this supports sentiment but hasn’t erased headwinds from heavy spending and telecom competition. Jim Cramer Says “Verizon’s Actually Got Some Game Here”
• Negative Sentiment: DBS Bank downgraded Verizon from Buy to Hold and set a $52 target, a visible analyst move that can pressure sentiment and prompt some profit-taking after the stock’s strong recent run. DBS Bank Downgrades Verizon (VZ) to Hold Despite Strong Stock Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon is publicly urging shareholders to reject several activist proposals (CEO/chair split, ESG-pay linkage, increased climate oversight). The proxy fight heightens governance uncertainty and could sour some institutional investors ahead of the May 21 annual meeting. How Investors May Respond To Verizon (VZ) Resisting Activist Push On Governance, ESG Pay, And Climate Oversight
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst notes and coverage have spotlighted transparency and disclosure concerns alongside aggressive cost-cutting and heavy fiber/build spending — a combination that raises near-term execution and margin risk. How Verizon (VZ) Story Is Shifting As Cost Cuts Progress And Transparency Concerns Grow

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.