Transcend Capital Advisors LLC Trims Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Transcend Capital Advisors cut its Verizon stake by 67.0% in Q4, selling 28,120 shares and finishing the period with 13,821 shares worth about $563,000, amid broader institutional activity (62.06% of VZ is institutionally owned).
• Insiders are net sellers: company insiders sold 218,148 shares valued at $10.78 million in the last 90 days, including recent sales by SVP Mary‑Lee Stillwell and EVP Joseph J. Russo.
• Dividend boost and results: Verizon raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (annualized $2.83) for a ~6.3% yield, and reported a slight quarterly EPS beat while setting FY2026 guidance at $4.90–$4.95 per share (P/E ≈ 11.1).

Transcend Capital Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 67.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,821 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 28,120 shares during the quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $563,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $9,470,788,000 after buying an additional 7,276,809 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 51.1% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,512,228 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $637,812,000 after buying an additional 4,905,101 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter worth about $161,346,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 50.4% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,848,766 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $385,983,000 after buying an additional 2,965,033 shares during the period. Finally, Credit Agricole S A purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter worth about $76,631,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were 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 approximately $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $45.06 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The company's 50-day moving average is $49.24 and its 200 day moving average is $43.66. The company has a market capitalization of $188.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 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.

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

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.3%. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is currently 69.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. William Blair raised shares of Verizon Communications to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. 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. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.56.

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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