Conning Inc. Purchases 78,120 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Conning Inc. increased its Verizon stake by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 78,120 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 852,623 shares valued at about $34.7 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added or initiated positions, and overall hedge funds and other institutions now own 62.06% of Verizon’s shares.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but constructive: Verizon currently has a Moderate Buy consensus rating with an average price target of $50.59, while recent headlines highlight FCC approval of its $1 billion spectrum purchase and ongoing debt restructuring efforts.

Conning Inc. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 10.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 852,623 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 78,120 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications accounts for about 1.2% of Conning Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Conning Inc.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $34,727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the period. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the third quarter worth about $29,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Dbs Bank downgraded Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.59.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 directly owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.03 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $196.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.47, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.24. The firm's fifty day moving average is $48.56 and its 200 day moving average is $44.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications's quarterly revenue 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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