Cornerstone Capital Inc. Purchases 25,156 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Cornerstone Capital increased its Verizon position by 8.6% in the second quarter, purchasing 25,156 shares to hold 317,284 shares valued at approximately $13.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own 62.06% of Verizon.
• Verizon exceeded quarterly EPS expectations with $1.30 per share, but revenue declined 0.7% year over year to $34.25 billion. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $4.99–$5.04.
• Verizon offers a quarterly dividend of $0.7075, equivalent to a 5.7% annualized yield, while analysts maintain an overall “Hold” rating with an average price target of $50.84. Regulatory risk remains after the Supreme Court upheld a $47 million FCC privacy fine.

Cornerstone Capital Inc. raised its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 8.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 317,284 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 25,156 shares during the quarter. Cornerstone Capital Inc.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $13,434,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 13.9% in the second quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 631,758 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $26,749,000 after acquiring an additional 77,303 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 64.1% in the second quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 1,644,554 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $69,630,000 after acquiring an additional 642,350 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in Verizon Communications by 7.6% during the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,243,533 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $52,651,000 after acquiring an additional 88,073 shares during the period. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 96,936 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $4,104,000 after purchasing an additional 6,711 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hohimer Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 88,706 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $3,756,000 after purchasing an additional 3,462 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s fiber strategy is receiving attention following its Frontier acquisition. Greater fiber scale could support broadband growth, improve network economics and strengthen the company’s competitive position. Verizon Communications Leans Into Fiber After the Frontier Close
• Positive Sentiment: Income-focused coverage continues to highlight Verizon’s roughly 6% dividend yield and 20 consecutive years of dividend increases. Analysts note that the payout appears secure, although limited growth remains a consideration for investors. Verizon’s Dividend Looks Secure But Investors Should Keep an Eye on Growth
• Positive Sentiment: A post-earnings review presents Verizon as a potential buy-or-hold candidate for income investors. The company recently exceeded quarterly EPS expectations and maintains fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of approximately $4.99 to $5.04. Verizon Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q2 Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The small transaction reduces his holdings by less than 1% and is unlikely to materially change the investment outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles criticizing Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF’s methodology and high-yield “dividend traps” concern other securities and do not directly alter Verizon’s fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Verizon’s final appeal of a $47 million FCC fine tied to customer location-data practices. The ruling ends the recovery effort and reinforces regulatory and privacy-compliance risks for the telecom operator. Supreme Court Rejects Verizon Bid to Recover $47M FCC Fine

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on VZ shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Freedom Capital upgraded Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Moffett Nathanson dropped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $50.84.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total transaction of $53,548.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 109,866 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,348,276.88. The trade was a 0.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $49.28 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The company has a market cap of $204.76 billion, a PE ratio of 12.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $45.45 and a 200-day moving average of $47.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The business had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.16 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.22 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th were given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is currently 73.70%.

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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