New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 76,874 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its Verizon stake by 2.2%, selling 76,874 shares and now holds 3,461,083 shares worth about $140.97 million (≈0.08% of the company).
• Verizon beat Q1 EPS ($1.28 vs. $1.21), added roughly 55,000 wireless subscribers and raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance to 4.95–4.99, prompting analyst price-target increases and a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target near $50.59.
• Insiders sold 218,148 shares (~$10.78M) last quarter, including a 200,000‑share sale by director Hans Erik Vestberg, while analysts warn that rising total debt after the Frontier acquisition is a key downside risk.

New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,461,083 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 76,874 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.08% of Verizon Communications worth $140,970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 5,497,598 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 7,276,809 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 45,265,695 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,989,427,000 after acquiring an additional 557,576 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.5% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,188,066 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,238,866,000 after acquiring an additional 1,203,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.9% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 22,592,460 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $992,939,000 after acquiring an additional 646,537 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ stock opened at $48.01 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68. The company has a market cap of $200.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.71, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.29. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $48.94 and a 200 day moving average of $44.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on VZ. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results showed an EPS beat and management described a turnaround with stronger profitability and postpaid phone subscriber gains — the core catalyst for the rally. Verizon CEO Claims Turnaround Is Officially Underway
• Positive Sentiment: Promotional push delivered ~55K new wireless subscribers and Verizon raised FY‑26 profit guidance, directly improving near‑term revenue and margin outlook. Verizon's promos lead to 55K new wireless subscribers; raises FY26 profit guidance
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on VZ to $52 (maintaining a Neutral rating), signaling modest upside from current levels and lending analyst support to the move higher. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Consumer perks — bundled/discounted streaming offers — are likely helping acquisition and retention trends, supporting ARPU and churn improvements. Verizon's Streaming Deals Let You Watch Netflix, Disney Plus and More, for Less
• Neutral Sentiment: Cydcor, a Verizon channel partner, won Verizon’s 2025 ACD Wireless Agent of the Year award — a positive PR/partner win but limited direct impact on VZ fundamentals. Cydcor Earns Verizon's 2025 ACD Wireless Agent of the Year Award
• Neutral Sentiment: Small analyst tweak: Erste Group trimmed FY‑2027 EPS slightly (from $5.28 to $5.26) but keeps a Strong‑Buy — little near‑term impact given the tiny change. MarketBeat / Erste Group note
• Neutral Sentiment: Several valuation and analyst-opinion pieces revisit VZ after the Q1 surprise; useful for longer‑term positioning but not immediate catalysts. A Look At Verizon (VZ) Valuation After Strong Q1 Earnings And Subscriber Turnaround
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentators warn that rising total debt after the Frontier acquisition could pressure income investors and increase financial risk — this is the main structural downside investors cite. The Ticking Time Bomb That Could Force Income Investors to Sell Verizon Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Competitor OXIO hired a former Verizon executive as CCO — a small talent/competitive signal that could matter in niche TaaS segments but is unlikely to shift overall VZ fundamentals. OXIO Appoints Former Verizon Executive Jeremy Bolton as Chief Commercial Officer

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value 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. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company 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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