Kingsview Wealth Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Kingsview Wealth Management increased its Verizon stake by 21.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 29,105 additional shares to bring its total holding to 163,411 shares worth about $6.66 million.
• Verizon reported better-than-expected earnings of $1.28 per share for the quarter, topping estimates, while revenue came in at $34.44 billion and rose 2.7% year over year.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive on the stock: Verizon has a Moderate Buy consensus rating with an average price target of $50.59, even as shares traded around $48 and insider Mary-Lee Stillwell recently sold stock.

Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 21.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 163,411 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 29,105 shares during the quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $6,656,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $14,761,000 after acquiring an additional 13,787 shares during the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $13,521,000 after purchasing an additional 17,495 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $16,665,000 after purchasing an additional 46,699 shares in the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $3,184,000 after purchasing an additional 14,862 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $6,196,000 after purchasing an additional 21,915 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of VZ stock opened at $48.03 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $200.56 billion, a PE ratio of 11.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $47.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

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 firm 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 revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon shareholders approved the company’s 2026 long-term incentive plan at the annual meeting, a sign of continued support for management’s compensation and retention framework. Verizon Shareholders Approve 2026 Long-Term Incentive Plan
• Positive Sentiment: Investor articles highlighted Verizon as a sub-$50 cash-flow and dividend-style stock that can still look attractive even with elevated Treasury yields, reinforcing the appeal of its steady earnings and income profile. The Sub-$50 Institutional Cash-Flow Machine That Remains Attractive Despite High Risk Free Yields
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting Verizon has been trading in the green for multiple sessions and remains a trending stock suggests improving near-term sentiment around the shares. Verizon trades in green for the seventh session
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-style articles also pointed to Verizon’s role in the growing 5G and AI connectivity theme, which can support the bull case for longer-term revenue opportunities. AI Can’t Reach the Real World Without These 3 Stocks

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Dbs Bank cut Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.59.

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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