National Pension Service Has $420.56 Million Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its Verizon stake by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, ending with 10.33 million shares worth about $420.6 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds now own about 62.06% of Verizon.
• Wall Street sentiment on Verizon is generally positive but mixed, with an overall “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $50.59. Recent analyst actions included upgrades from William Blair and Scotiabank, while several firms maintained hold or outperform views.
• Verizon’s latest earnings topped EPS estimates, reporting $1.28 per share versus the expected $1.21, though revenue came in slightly below forecasts at $34.44 billion. The company also reiterated FY 2026 guidance of 4.950-4.990 EPS.

National Pension Service boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,325,584 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after acquiring an additional 446,662 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.24% of Verizon Communications worth $420,561,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 9,257 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 9,788 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 14,891 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 27,471 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VZ has been the topic of several recent research reports. William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and raised their price target for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, March 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

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

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The company's revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current year.

More Verizon Communications News

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 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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