Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Raises Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Crossmark Global raised its Verizon stake by 3.4% in Q3 to 858,236 shares (about $37.72 million), making VZ its 26th-largest holding and 0.6% of the firm's portfolio.
• Verizon topped quarterly EPS estimates ($1.09 vs. $1.06), set FY2026 guidance of $4.90–4.95, and increased the quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (roughly a 5.5–5.6% yield).
• Insiders sold heavily over the last quarter (218,148 shares worth ~$10.78M), including EVP Joseph Russo and SVP Mary‑Lee Stillwell, while institutional investors own about 62.06% of the stock.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 858,236 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 27,903 shares during the period. Verizon Communications accounts for 0.6% of Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $37,719,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 16,704 shares in the last quarter. United Bank raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 205.0% in the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,095 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 13.2% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 4,289 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $186,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corps Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Corps Capital Advisors LLC now owns 14,667 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $635,000 after purchasing an additional 587 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon showcased a vehicle‑to‑everything (V2X) proof‑of‑concept at MWC Barcelona with Aptiv and Wind River that used its 5G + edge compute platform to share real‑time sensor data between cars — a concrete example of how Verizon’s network could create new enterprise revenue streams in connected‑vehicle services. V2X Trial Article
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals and capital returns remain supportive: Verizon beat EPS estimates in its latest quarter, set FY2026 guidance of $4.90–4.95, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (5.6% yield), which underpins income investor demand. MarketBeat Earnings & Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports say Verizon recently considered pulling back on its NFL sponsorship deal — may reflect cost/marketing reprioritization but outcome and financial impact are unclear. MSN NFL Sponsorship Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media attention: Zacks notes VZ as a highly watched stock and provides a fresh take for investors weighing value vs. growth; coverage can drive short‑term flows but contains no new company guidance. Zacks Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noted AST SpaceMobile’s big revenue beat; any direct benefit to Verizon is speculative but it keeps space‑based cellular themes in the newsflow. AST SpaceMobile Story
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market weakness tied to U.S.‑Iran escalation fears pressured major indexes — a macro headwind that can weigh on VZ despite defensive characteristics. Market Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Mary‑Lee Stillwell disclosed a sale of 8,569 shares at about $50 — a routine liquidity event but one that can nudge short‑term sentiment lower. SEC Filing

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VZ. Evercore increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Scotiabank upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.25 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, William Blair raised Verizon Communications to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $49.02.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE:VZ opened at $51.20 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.41. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $43.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $42.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.64, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.31.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The company had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.5%. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is 68.15%.

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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