Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. Purchases 22,112 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. increased its Verizon stake by 16.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 22,112 more shares and bringing its holdings to 157,849 shares worth about $6.43 million.
• Verizon’s latest earnings beat expectations, with EPS of $1.28 versus the $1.21 consensus, while revenue rose 2.7% year over year to $34.44 billion. The company also reaffirmed FY 2026 EPS guidance of 4.950-4.990.
• Insider selling and mixed analyst views were notable, as Director Hans Erik Vestberg and SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold shares, while Wall Street’s consensus remains a “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $50.59.

Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 16.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 157,849 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 22,112 shares during the period. Verizon Communications comprises 1.0% of Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $6,429,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $15,453,058,000 after acquiring an additional 5,497,598 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $9,470,788,000 after acquiring an additional 7,276,809 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 45,265,695 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,989,427,000 after acquiring an additional 557,576 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,188,066 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,238,866,000 after acquiring an additional 1,203,445 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 22,592,460 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $992,939,000 after acquiring an additional 646,537 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the sale, the director 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 1.6%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $48.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $44.35. The company has a market cap of $200.35 billion, a PE ratio of 11.70, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.24. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on VZ. William Blair raised Verizon Communications to an "outperform" 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, April 7th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Verizon Communications from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.59.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced tender offers, exchange offers, and consent solicitations for multiple series of notes, a move that could help streamline debt, reduce financing complexity, and support long-term balance sheet management. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Verizon as a top-ranked growth stock and noted that the company continues to draw investor attention, which can reinforce the view that the stock remains attractive on valuation and fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles focus on Verizon’s status as a watched name and on broader commentary about its investment story, suggesting steady market interest rather than a clear new catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s ongoing layoffs and AI-related restructuring may improve efficiency over time, but they also signal that management is still working through a major cost-reset and transition period. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary flagged Verizon as one of the communication-services names most exposed to rising rates, since its dividend becomes less competitive versus Treasuries and investors may rotate away from telecom income stocks. Article Title

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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