Osprey Private Wealth LLC Has $2.38 Million Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Osprey Private Wealth LLC more than doubled its Verizon position in Q4, boosting its stake by 125.9% to 58,400 shares valued at about $2.38 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their Verizon holdings, and the stock remains heavily owned by institutions and hedge funds at 62.06%.
• Verizon posted better-than-expected EPS of $1.28 in the latest quarter, while analysts have a Moderate Buy view with an average price target of $50.59; the company also reported insider share sales by Director Hans Erik Vestberg and SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell.

Osprey Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 125.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 58,400 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 32,550 shares during the period. Osprey Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $2,379,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Income Insurance Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at $514,000. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 11.6% in the fourth quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 23,266 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $948,000 after purchasing an additional 2,424 shares during the last quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC now owns 87,334 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $3,557,000 after purchasing an additional 4,570 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 145,415 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $5,952,000 after purchasing an additional 7,028 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pandora Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 297.2% in the fourth quarter. Pandora Wealth Inc. now owns 6,057 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 4,532 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the company'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 directly owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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 Trading Up 0.2%

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

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. Verizon Communications's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on VZ shares. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $56.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, March 12th. KeyCorp reiterated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.59.

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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