Sanctuary Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Sanctuary Advisors LLC trimmed its Verizon stake by 3.6%, selling 33,523 shares and ending the quarter with 886,134 shares valued at about $36.09 million.
• Verizon beat Q results with $1.09 EPS vs. $1.06 consensus and $36.38B revenue, raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (annual $2.83, ~6.1% yield) and set FY2026 guidance of 4.900–4.950 EPS.
• Insiders sold 218,148 shares (~$10.78M) over the past 90 days, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with a $50.56 average target price.

Sanctuary Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 886,134 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 33,523 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $36,092,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of VZ. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,759,000 after purchasing an additional 16,704 shares during the period. United Bank increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 11.5% in the second quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $339,000 after buying an additional 806 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 312.0% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,023,000 after buying an additional 17,901 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 17.2% in the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,779,000 after buying an additional 6,034 shares during the period. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.2% in the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 443 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VZ has been the topic of several analyst reports. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.56.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 1.6%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $46.46 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $49.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $43.84. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The company has a market capitalization of $194.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.29.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This is an increase from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.88%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon expanded its Frontline Network Slice to laptops, tablets and smartphones, improving dedicated, prioritized 5G connectivity for first responders — a move that can win higher-margin public‑safety contracts and differentiate Verizon’s enterprise offerings. Verizon Frontline Network Slice available for laptops, tablets and smartphones nationwide
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is deploying advanced 5G and fiber for FIFA World Cup 2026 venues and surrounding communities and has expanded its 5G network slicing for FirstNet and frontline use—moves that raise service pricing power at large events and for critical customers. How Verizon’s Expanded 5G Network Slicing and World Cup Buildout Could Impact Verizon Communications (VZ) Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Legal win: a federal judge granted Verizon a preliminary injunction blocking certain T‑Mobile ad claims about >$1,000 savings for switchers — reduces competitive marketing pressure and could protect Verizon’s subscriber stability and churn. Verizon (VZ) Wins an Injunction Prohibiting T-Mobile’s Ad Campaign Promising Significant Savings
• Neutral Sentiment: Market move: recent sessions showed a modest uptick in VZ shares as broader markets dipped — short-term price action rather than new fundamentals. Verizon Communications (VZ) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts
• Neutral Sentiment: Income narrative remains a driver for investors: articles highlight Verizon’s steady ~4%+ yield and option/dividend strategies for cash generation — supports interest from income-focused holders but doesn’t move fundamentals. AT&T vs. Verizon vs. T-Mobile: Why This 4.4% Yield Is the Steadiest Bet in Telecom.
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term risk: investors are cautious ahead of Verizon’s Q1 earnings (reporting next week); analysts cite the Frontier deal integration, fiber capex needs, and intense wireless competition as headwinds that could limit upside. Verizon to Report Q1 Earnings: How to Approach the Stock Now?

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VZ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.