NewEdge Wealth LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its Verizon stake by 40% in the fourth quarter, ending with 134,188 shares worth about $5.47 million.
• Other institutional investors also boosted their holdings, and overall hedge funds and institutions now own 62.06% of Verizon’s stock.
• Insider activity was mixed: SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell and Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold shares, while Verizon recently reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS of $1.28 and maintained FY2026 EPS guidance of $4.95-$4.99.

NewEdge Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 40.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 134,188 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 38,335 shares during the period. NewEdge Wealth LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $5,465,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $14,761,000 after acquiring an additional 13,787 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.6% in the fourth 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 during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 14.0% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $16,665,000 after buying an additional 46,699 shares during the period. Econ Financial Services Corp raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 23.5% in the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 18.4% in the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $6,196,000 after buying an additional 21,915 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. The trade was 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 insiders.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon will have CEO Dan Schulman speak at two upcoming investor conferences, giving management a chance to outline strategy, answer questions on the business outlook, and potentially reinforce confidence in the company’s execution. Verizon to Speak at Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Verizon to $4.96 from $4.92, signaling slightly better earnings expectations and suggesting analysts see stable fundamentals ahead. Verizon Communications (VZ) Surged from Excellent Execution
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s broader fiber expansion and buyback plans continue to support the investment case, as the company now has a larger fiber footprint and a $25 billion repurchase authorization that can help offset share dilution and support per-share metrics. Verizon Weighs Frontier Fiber Expansion Against Buybacks And Cost Cuts
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon also confirmed a few hundred job cuts as part of an ongoing operational revamp. The move supports cost discipline, but it is not large enough on its own to materially change the near-term earnings outlook. Verizon cutting a few hundred jobs nationwide

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.21 on Monday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market cap of $197.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.51, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. The firm'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, research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on VZ shares. William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Company 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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