New Age Alpha Advisors LLC Buys 30,182 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• New Age Alpha Advisors LLC sharply increased its Verizon stake by 593.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 30,182 additional shares to bring its total holding to 35,264 shares valued at about $1.44 million.
• Several other large institutional investors also added to or maintained major positions in Verizon, with 62.06% of the stock owned by institutions, suggesting continued strong professional interest in the company.
• Verizon’s latest earnings topped EPS estimates at $1.28 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $50.59.

New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 593.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,264 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 30,182 shares during the period. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,436,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VZ. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the third 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 during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $15,453,058,000 after buying an additional 5,497,598 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 51.1% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,512,228 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $637,812,000 after buying an additional 4,905,101 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the third quarter valued at about $161,346,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 50.4% during 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 buying an additional 2,965,033 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VZ has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Evercore boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.59.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is part of a proposed satellite direct-to-device venture with AT&T and T-Mobile, a move that could help expand coverage, reduce dead zones, and improve emergency communications capabilities. T-Mobile Joins Rivals On Satellite Venture With Shares Below Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention remains elevated after Verizon’s last earnings report, where the company beat EPS estimates, supporting confidence in its cash generation and wireless business. Why Is Verizon (VZ) Up 2.7% Since Last Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon continues to show up on trader screens and stock-watch lists, suggesting the market is still focused on its upcoming catalysts rather than any single major new development. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector commentary around 5G, AI connectivity, and telecom infrastructure may be giving Verizon some broader support, but these themes are more long-term than immediate stock-moving news. AI Can’t Reach the Real World Without These 3 Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles discussing a broader fleet-telematics market expansion are not specific to Verizon, so any stock impact is likely indirect at best. Fleet Telematics Market Forecast

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $48.30 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $201.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.78, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.24. The business has a 50-day moving average of $48.01 and a 200-day moving average of $44.99.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.Verizon Communications's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was 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 represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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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