Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Sells 37,247 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Mesirow Financial Investment Management cut its Verizon stake by 50.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 37,247 shares and leaving it with 36,297 shares valued at about $1.48 million.
• Several other institutional investors recently adjusted their Verizon holdings, and the stock remains heavily owned by institutions at 62.06% of shares outstanding.
• Verizon’s recent news flow is mixed but constructive overall: the FCC approved its $1 billion spectrum purchase, analysts have lifted price targets, and the company reported quarterly EPS of $1.28, beating estimates.

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 50.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,297 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 37,247 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,479,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VZ. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $14,761,000 after acquiring an additional 13,787 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $13,521,000 after buying an additional 17,495 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 46,699 shares during the period. Econ Financial Services Corp grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 23.5% in 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 buying an additional 14,862 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 18.4% during the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $6,196,000 after acquiring an additional 21,915 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FCC approved Verizon’s $1 billion spectrum purchase from U.S. Cellular, removing a key regulatory hurdle and supporting Verizon’s efforts to expand network capacity and coverage. FCC approves Verizon's $1 billion spectrum purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon also launched a $4 billion junior subordinated notes offering and related debt exchange/tender activity, which suggests management is actively restructuring and extending its capital profile to improve financial flexibility. Verizon Strengthens Capital Structure with $4 Billion Notes
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile said they plan to form a joint venture to improve rural coverage using satellite-based technology, a move that could improve service quality and reduce long-term coverage gaps. US wireless carriers to launch joint venture to address rural dead zones
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon announced additional layoffs as part of a broader cost-cutting and AI automation push, which may help margins but also signals ongoing restructuring pressure. Verizon Announces New Layoffs as Cost-Cutting Continues Into 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern remains around Verizon’s heavy debt load and the need for repeated capital-structure changes, which can raise questions about balance-sheet risk even as the company refinances and reorganizes its obligations. Verizon Debt Moves Reshape Capital Structure And Investor Risk Profile
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary also points to customer-retention pressure and plan changes that could drive churn, offsetting the more constructive news on spectrum and network expansion. Verizon’s latest phone plan change may drive away consumers

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In other news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the 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 sale, the director owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. William Blair raised shares of Verizon Communications to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Williams Trading set a $54.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of VZ opened at $47.03 on Friday. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68. The company has a market capitalization of $196.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.24. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $48.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.47.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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