Meritage Portfolio Management Has $293,000 Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Meritage Portfolio Management trimmed its Verizon stake by 90.9% in Q4, selling 72,168 shares and leaving 7,190 shares worth $293,000, while insiders have also sold heavily (200,000 shares by Director Hans Erik Vestberg and 218,148 shares total in the last 90 days), signaling notable insider and institutional reductions in position.
• Verizon raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (annualized $2.83), delivering a 6.2% yield
• The company set FY2026 EPS guidance at 4.900–4.950 (analysts forecast ~4.9), has an analyst consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a $50.56 price target, and will report Q1 2026 results on Apr. 27 (webcast at 8:30 a.m. ET).

Meritage Portfolio Management trimmed its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 90.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,190 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 72,168 shares during the quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $293,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 152.9% in the fourth quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 827 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and previews highlight Verizon’s strategic drivers — the Frontier deal, continued 5G network investment and fiber expansion — which support revenue and margin improvement potential over time. Verizon to Report Q1 Earnings: How to Approach the Stock Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon has scheduled its Q1 2026 earnings webcast for Apr 27 (8:30 a.m. ET); investors will be listening for subscriber trends, service revenue, capex guidance and fiber progress. Verizon Communications Inc. Schedules First-Quarter 2026 Earnings Report and Webcast
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street estimate rundowns are available — analysts are parsing subscriber metrics and non‑GAAP drivers beyond headline EPS to set expectations for the report. Curious about Verizon (VZ) Q1 Performance? Explore Wall Street Estimates for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor focus on the broader telecom group — AT&T’s mixed Q1 showing (revenue beat but weak wireless revenue) keeps competitive dynamics in view for pricing and churn. Stock Market Today, April 22: AT&T Edges Upwards on Mixed Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: A Blue Origin launch issue led AST SpaceMobile shares sharply lower; any delays or setbacks for satellite partners could slow direct‑to‑device initiatives that might affect Verizon’s satellite-related plans or timing. AST SpaceMobile Drops 15% After Blue Origin Satellite Mishap (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: CEO comments warning about rapid AI adoption’s labor/economic risks have drawn attention to potential demand and regulatory implications, adding uncertainty to longer‑term outlook discussions. Verizon CEO AI Warning Puts Job Risks And Valuation In Focus
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling and large institutional position reductions (noted in filings) can amplify downward pressure or signal cautious positioning ahead of the print. Verizon Communications Inc. Schedules First-Quarter 2026 Earnings Report and Webcast

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ stock opened at $45.96 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $49.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.76. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $192.11 billion, a PE ratio of 11.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.29.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $36.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications's revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.9 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. This is a boost from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 90 days, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on VZ. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Evercore boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.56.

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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