Czech National Bank Increases Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Czech National Bank increased its stake in Verizon by 3.8% in Q4, holding 1,111,810 shares (about $45.28 million) after buying 40,951 shares.
• Several brokerages have raised price targets and ratings recently, leaving the stock with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of about $50.32.
• Verizon beat Q results (EPS $1.09 vs. $1.06), set FY2026 guidance of 4.90–4.95 EPS, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (annualized $2.83, ~5.6% yield; ex-dividend April 10).

Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,111,810 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 40,951 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $45,284,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. TruNorth Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 739.5% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the period. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 52.4% in the 2nd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 782 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on VZ. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.32.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $50.36 on Thursday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $47.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.17. 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 stock has a market cap of $212.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.31. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This is an increase from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was 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 owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the company'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 directly owned 44,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Settlement of Fractus patent suit removes a multi-quarter legal overhang tied to antenna/IP claims, improving legal and cash‑flow risk visibility for Verizon. Fractus and Verizon settle patent litigation
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see the settlement positively for risk profile and dividend resiliency; commentary highlights Verizon’s fixed wireless access strategy and reduced litigation uncertainty. How Investors May Respond To Verizon (VZ) Settling Fractus Patent Dispute And Easing Legal Overhang
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target, signaling confidence in Verizon’s outlook and likely supporting buying interest after recent gains. Verizon Receives a Vote of Confidence as Goldman Sachs Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Separate analyst upgrades pushed near‑term sentiment higher; one report notes a post‑upgrade share uptick. Verizon Communications NYSE: VZ Stock Price Up 1.3% Following Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~16% in March, indicating some short covering which can reduce downward pressure and support the stock. (Data reported 3/24/2026)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst fair‑value estimates nudged higher (to ~$50.76), a modest adjustment that suggests mixed but not dramatic changes to consensus valuation. How The Verizon (VZ) Investment Story Is Shifting On Costs Transparency And Fair Value Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage in broad “mega‑cap” pieces keeps Verizon on investors’ radar but doesn’t materially change fundamentals. 2 Mega-Cap Stocks Worth Your Attention and 1 We Turn Down
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the positives, a headline noting the stock “sank as the market gained” captures intraday selling pressure and suggests short‑term weakness/rotation out of Verizon. Verizon Communications (VZ) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here's Why
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts remain cautious about disclosure quality and reporting changes; that ambivalence can cap upgrades and keep volatility elevated. How The Verizon (VZ) Investment Story Is Shifting On Costs Transparency And Fair Value Estimates

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.

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.