Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 36,128 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group trimmed its stake in Verizon by 0.3%, selling 36,128 shares and leaving a holding of 11,941,909 shares (about 0.28% of the company) worth roughly $486.4 million.
• Company insiders have sold heavily recently — including a 200,000-share sale by director Hans Erik Vestberg — with 218,148 shares totaling about $10.78 million sold in the past 90 days, and insiders now own just 0.10% of the stock.
• Analysts are mildly optimistic (consensus rating: Moderate Buy, average target $50.56); Verizon raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (~$2.83 annual, ~6.1% yield) and set FY2026 EPS guidance of 4.90–4.95.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,941,909 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 36,128 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.28% of Verizon Communications worth $486,394,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 95.3% during the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 739.5% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VZ shares. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Scotiabank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were 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. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 3.6%

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $46.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $192.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a fifty day moving average of $49.29 and a 200 day moving average of $43.62. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. Verizon Communications's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This is an increase from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group issued an optimistic forecast for Verizon’s upcoming earnings, which supports upside expectations for EPS and could reinforce buy-side interest. Erste Group Bank Issues Optimistic Forecast for VZ Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call option activity (≈326k calls bought, ~300% above normal) signals speculative or hedged bullish positioning by options traders and can presage short-term upward pressure if buyers are directional. (market data)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are slightly revising fair value estimates upward as Verizon shows subscriber progress and cost-cutting; but the shift is modest and reflects mixed views on sustainability of margins and disclosure quality. How Verizon (VZ) Story Is Shifting As Cost Cuts Progress And Transparency Concerns Grow
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentators (including Jim Cramer) note Verizon’s operational moves and new leadership as constructive; this supports sentiment but hasn’t erased headwinds from heavy spending and telecom competition. Jim Cramer Says “Verizon’s Actually Got Some Game Here”
• Negative Sentiment: DBS Bank downgraded Verizon from Buy to Hold and set a $52 target, a visible analyst move that can pressure sentiment and prompt some profit-taking after the stock’s strong recent run. DBS Bank Downgrades Verizon (VZ) to Hold Despite Strong Stock Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon is publicly urging shareholders to reject several activist proposals (CEO/chair split, ESG-pay linkage, increased climate oversight). The proxy fight heightens governance uncertainty and could sour some institutional investors ahead of the May 21 annual meeting. How Investors May Respond To Verizon (VZ) Resisting Activist Push On Governance, ESG Pay, And Climate Oversight
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst notes and coverage have spotlighted transparency and disclosure concerns alongside aggressive cost-cutting and heavy fiber/build spending — a combination that raises near-term execution and margin risk. How Verizon (VZ) Story Is Shifting As Cost Cuts Progress And Transparency Concerns Grow

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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