Jennison Associates LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Jennison Associates increased its Verizon stake by 7.6% in the second quarter, adding 88,073 shares to own 1.24 million shares valued at approximately $52.7 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 62.06% of Verizon’s stock.
• Analysts maintain a generally neutral outlook, with a consensus “Hold” rating and average price target of $50.84; nine analysts rate the stock a Buy and twelve rate it a Hold.
• Verizon reported quarterly EPS of $1.30, beating estimates, while revenue declined 0.7% year over year. The company continues to offer an annualized $2.83 dividend, yielding about 5.7%, and reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $4.99–$5.04.

Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,243,533 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 88,073 shares during the quarter. Jennison Associates LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $52,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ranch Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 96,936 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $4,104,000 after acquiring an additional 6,711 shares during the period. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.1% in the second quarter. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC now owns 88,706 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $3,756,000 after acquiring an additional 3,462 shares in the last quarter. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter worth about $206,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 10.8% during the second quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 107,573 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $4,555,000 after acquiring an additional 10,514 shares during the last quarter. Finally, W Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.3% in the second quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 15,633 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $662,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VZ. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Barclays boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $50.84.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 1.5%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $49.28 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $204.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.25. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $45.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $47.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

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

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.70%.

Key Headlines Impacting 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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total value of $53,548.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

About Verizon Communications

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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