IFP Advisors Inc Boosts Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• IFP Advisors Inc increased its Verizon stake by 30.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 38,406 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 165,184 shares worth about $6.73 million.
• Insider selling was notable: SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares, and Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares, reducing his ownership by nearly 58%.
• Verizon’s latest results beat profit estimates, with EPS of $1.28 versus $1.21 expected, while analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with an average price target of $50.59.

IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 30.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 165,184 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after acquiring an additional 38,406 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $6,728,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VZ. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the period. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications 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 transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Barclays raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $47.80 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $199.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $48.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.69. 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 released its 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 company had revenue of $34.44 billion during 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%.Verizon Communications's revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon highlighted stronger consumer traction in its latest earnings commentary, including postpaid phone growth and broadband gains, which supports the view that its core wireless business is stabilizing. Verizon Earnings Call Highlights Turnaround Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon, along with AT&T and T-Mobile, is advancing a satellite connectivity joint venture aimed at eliminating dead zones, a strategic move that could improve network coverage and long-term competitive positioning. Verizon to redeem debt securities on June 20, 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced it will redeem about $1.3 billion of notes on June 20, signaling active debt management that may be viewed favorably by income-oriented investors. Verizon to redeem debt securities on June 20, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon also announced the winner of its first Frontline App Developer Challenge, underscoring innovation in public safety and emergency response, but the near-term financial impact appears limited. Verizon champions the innovators of tomorrow, names winner of Verizon Frontline App Developer Challenge
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s latest industry cybersecurity report drew attention to a surge in AI-driven social engineering and vulnerability exploitation, highlighting Verizon’s security expertise but not directly changing fundamentals. AI-related data breaches surpass stolen credentials in cyber incidents, Verizon report says

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VZ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report).

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.