Meyer Handelman Co. Raises Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Meyer Handelman Co. increased its Verizon stake by 4.2% in Q4 to 1,209,848 shares (worth about $49.28M), making Verizon ~1.5% of the firm's portfolio and its 14th largest holding.
• Other institutions (e.g., State Street, Capital World, AQR) also boosted positions — institutional ownership totals about 62.06% — while insiders sold 218,148 shares (~$10.78M) in the past 90 days, a mixed signal for investor flows.
• Verizon raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (annual $2.83, a 5.6% yield), set FY2026 guidance at $4.90–$4.95 EPS, and carries a consensus analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a price target near $50.56.

Meyer Handelman Co. grew its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,209,848 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 48,942 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications makes up about 1.5% of Meyer Handelman Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Meyer Handelman Co.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $49,277,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $9,470,788,000 after buying an additional 7,276,809 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 51.1% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,512,228 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $637,812,000 after buying an additional 4,905,101 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 21.5% during the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $915,552,000 after acquiring an additional 3,743,892 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the third quarter valued at about $161,346,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 50.4% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,848,766 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $385,983,000 after acquiring an additional 2,965,033 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Federal court granted Verizon a preliminary injunction blocking a T‑Mobile ad campaign that promised large savings to switch — a competitive win that protects Verizon’s customer messaging and could limit aggressive poaching by a rival. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Citi recently raised its price target to $55, signaling some analyst conviction behind upside potential and supporting the narrative that Verizon’s cost cuts and acquisition could boost margins. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Verizon as a top dividend stock and management’s actions (CEO Dan Schulman’s cost cuts and the Frontier acquisition) reinforces the income/turnaround thesis that has supported the rally earlier this year. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $47 (maintaining an "Equal Weight" rating), citing signs of a subscriber turnaround and telecom’s defensive appeal — the move is a mild vote of confidence but the PT still sits below the current market price, so its net impact is mixed. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon set its Q1 2026 earnings date for April 27. The upcoming report and webcast present a catalyst for renewed volatility as investors look for subscriber trends and progress on margin targets. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is a trending stock on some retail/coverage sites (Zacks, Business Insider), which can increase attention and trading volume but doesn't directly change fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The company raised the price on a heavily discounted customer offer — a potential short-term revenue boost but a risk for churn if customers react negatively, which could weigh on subscriber-growth confidence. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent data show notable insider selling activity and some large institutional reductions in recent quarters — these flows can add selling pressure or at least create caution among investors. Article Title

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $50.15 on Wednesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $47.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.35. The firm has a market cap of $211.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.38, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.31.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The company had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. This is an increase from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Verizon Communications from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Evercore boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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