Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Holdings Boosted by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group raised its stake in Verizon by 3.2% to 4,901,513 shares (worth about $199.6M), and institutional investors now own roughly 62.06% of the company.
• Verizon beat Q1 EPS estimates ($1.28 vs. $1.21) while revenue slightly missed ($34.44B vs. $34.82B); the company set FY2026 guidance of $4.95–$4.99 EPS (consensus ~$4.96).
• Significant insider selling (including Director Hans Erik Vestberg’s 200,000‑share sale) has weighed on sentiment, yet brokerages maintain a "Moderate Buy" consensus with a $50.59 target.

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,901,513 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 150,543 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.12% of Verizon Communications worth $199,639,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $14,761,000 after acquiring an additional 13,787 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $13,521,000 after acquiring an additional 17,495 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 14.0% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $16,665,000 after purchasing an additional 46,699 shares during the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $3,184,000 after purchasing an additional 14,862 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 18.4% in the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $6,196,000 after purchasing an additional 21,915 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ opened at $47.34 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $197.68 billion, a PE ratio of 11.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $48.91 and a 200-day moving average of $44.10. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.19 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. William Blair raised Verizon Communications to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Dbs Bank cut Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Verizon Communications from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Insider Activity 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 value of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Expanded 5G Frontline network slice broadens mission‑critical addressable market (first responders, more devices), reinforcing Verizon’s push into higher‑value public‑sector and enterprise use cases. Verizon Extends 5G Frontline Access As Valuation Gap Draws Attention
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive — “Moderate Buy” consensus from brokerages supports upside expectations from the street. Verizon Communications Inc. NYSE: VZ Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst takeaways from Verizon’s Q1 call highlighted improved postpaid phone adds, lower acquisition/retention costs and management’s shift toward durable recurring revenue — factors that underpinned the recent positive market reaction to results. 5 Revealing Analyst Questions From Verizon’s Q1 Earnings Call
• Positive Sentiment: Value investors are being reminded of Verizon’s attractively low multiple and steady dividend (high yield vs. peers), which supports long‑term buy arguments amid modest growth. Why Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Top Value Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating — a neutral stance that suggests limited near‑term catalyst from this particular analyst action. Finviz
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces comparing Verizon’s dividend to peers (e.g., Nike) highlight Verizon’s strong adjusted earnings growth and yield — useful for income investors but not an immediate stock catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling (roughly US$12m sold over the past year) can signal management/insider hesitancy and weighs on sentiment for some investors. Verizon Communications Insiders Sold US$12m Of Shares Suggesting Hesitancy
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation debate persists: some analysts view VZ as cheap on multiples but raise structural concerns (mix shift, secular wireless trends), which can cap multiple expansion. Verizon Stock: Cheap Multiple, Complicated Story

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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