Strs Ohio Sells 38,544 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Strs Ohio trimmed its Verizon stake by 1.7%, selling 38,544 shares and leaving it with 2,259,087 shares valued at about $92.01 million (roughly 0.05% of the company).
• Q1 EPS beat: Verizon reported $1.28 EPS vs. $1.21 expected and posted postpaid phone subscriber gains, set FY2026 guidance of $4.95–4.99, and has seen several analyst price‑target raises and a consensus "Moderate Buy."
• Insider selling and leverage risk: insiders sold 218,148 shares in the last 90 days (including Director Hans Erik Vestberg's 200,000‑share sale of ~$9.92M), while commentary highlights rising debt after the Frontier acquisition as a concern for income investors.

Strs Ohio lessened its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,259,087 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 38,544 shares during the period. Strs Ohio owned 0.05% of Verizon Communications worth $92,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 16,704 shares during the last quarter. United Bank grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 312.0% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,023,000 after acquiring an additional 17,901 shares during the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,779,000 after acquiring an additional 6,034 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $389,000 after acquiring an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 surprise and subscriber momentum — Verizon reported an EPS beat and posted first-quarter postpaid phone subscriber gains, which investors view as evidence the turnaround is gaining traction; that momentum is being cited in valuation write-ups and helped lift sentiment. A Look At Verizon (VZ) Valuation After Strong Q1 Earnings And Subscriber Turnaround
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target bump — JPMorgan raised its VZ price target from $49 to $52 (while keeping a neutral rating), signaling incremental upside in analyst expectations and providing a short-term technical catalyst. JPMorgan raises VZ price target
• Positive Sentiment: Partner/network recognition — Verizon’s partner Cydcor won Verizon’s 2025 ACD Wireless Agent of the Year award, reinforcing channel strength and sales execution at the retail/agent level. Cydcor Earns Verizon's 2025 ACD Wireless Agent of the Year Award
• Neutral Sentiment: Trending attention / retail interest — Zacks and other outlets note increased user interest in VZ; trending status can boost volume and volatility but is not a guarantee of sustained direction. Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Adjacency to growth markets — Verizon is listed among players in industry reports (e.g., video telematics), indicating optionality beyond consumer wireless if execution in enterprise/commercial products scales. North America and Europe Video Telematics Market Research Report 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure from T‑Mobile — comparisons and service/perk analyses highlight T‑Mobile’s strengths and its broadband expansion, which could pressure pricing and share in both wireless and home broadband segments. T-Mobile vs. Verizon: Which Big Phone Carrier Works Best for You?
• Negative Sentiment: T‑Mobile’s broadband blitz — T‑Mobile’s capital-efficient push into broadband is described as a direct challenge to incumbents and could create longer-term margin and market-share pressure for Verizon. T-Mobile's Broadband Blitz Puts Cable on Notice (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: Debt and income-investor risk — commentary (e.g., The Motley Fool) flags rising leverage after the Frontier acquisition as a potential “time bomb” for income investors, which could limit upside multiple expansion and increase sensitivity to interest rates. The Ticking Time Bomb That Could Force Income Investors to Sell Verizon Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Minor analyst EPS trim — Erste Group slightly cut FY2027 EPS estimates for Verizon, a small reminder that forecasts remain sensitive to revenue mix and legacy/merger-related costs. Erste Group trims VZ FY2027 EPS estimate

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on VZ shares. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Scotiabank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $48.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $201.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.29. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.00.

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 analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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