Van ECK Associates Corp Buys 851,377 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Van ECK bought 851,377 shares, boosting its Verizon stake 23.9% to 4,420,565 shares valued at about $194.3 million (≈0.10% of the company).
• Verizon beat quarterly expectations with $1.09 EPS (vs. $1.06 est.) and $36.38B revenue, and set FY‑2026 guidance of $4.90–$4.95 EPS.
• Verizon increased its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (annualized $2.83), implying a ~5.6% yield; the ex‑dividend date is April 10 and the payment date is May 1.

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,420,565 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 851,377 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned about 0.10% of Verizon Communications worth $194,283,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,759,000 after purchasing an additional 16,704 shares in the last quarter. United Bank increased its position in Verizon Communications by 11.5% during the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $489,000. PFG Advisors lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 38.9% in the 2nd quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 25,295 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,095,000 after purchasing an additional 7,085 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 9.9% during the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 829,284 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $35,883,000 after buying an additional 74,888 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE VZ opened at $50.68 on Wednesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.41. The business's fifty day moving average is $44.80 and its 200-day moving average is $42.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $213.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications's revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on VZ. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays initiated coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $49.66.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.

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.