Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Holdings Raised by Sigma Planning Corp

Key Points

• Sigma Planning Corp raised its stake in Verizon by 13.8% to 193,509 shares, worth about $7.88 million, as institutional investors now own roughly 62.06% of the stock.
• Insiders have been net sellers: Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares (~$9.92M) and insiders sold a total of 218,148 shares (~$10.78M) over the past 90 days, leaving insiders with just 0.03% ownership.
• Operationally Verizon beat Q1 EPS ($1.28 vs. $1.21), added about 55K wireless postpaid subscribers and raised FY‑26 profit guidance, but rising debt after the Frontier acquisition is cited as the key structural risk; analysts’ consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $50.59 price target.

Sigma Planning Corp lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 13.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 193,509 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 23,449 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $7,876,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Richardson Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results showed an EPS beat and management described a turnaround with stronger profitability and postpaid phone subscriber gains — the core catalyst for the rally. Verizon CEO Claims Turnaround Is Officially Underway
• Positive Sentiment: Promotional push delivered ~55K new wireless subscribers and Verizon raised FY‑26 profit guidance, directly improving near‑term revenue and margin outlook. Verizon's promos lead to 55K new wireless subscribers; raises FY26 profit guidance
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on VZ to $52 (maintaining a Neutral rating), signaling modest upside from current levels and lending analyst support to the move higher. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Consumer perks — bundled/discounted streaming offers — are likely helping acquisition and retention trends, supporting ARPU and churn improvements. Verizon's Streaming Deals Let You Watch Netflix, Disney Plus and More, for Less
• Neutral Sentiment: Cydcor, a Verizon channel partner, won Verizon’s 2025 ACD Wireless Agent of the Year award — a positive PR/partner win but limited direct impact on VZ fundamentals. Cydcor Earns Verizon's 2025 ACD Wireless Agent of the Year Award
• Neutral Sentiment: Small analyst tweak: Erste Group trimmed FY‑2027 EPS slightly (from $5.28 to $5.26) but keeps a Strong‑Buy — little near‑term impact given the tiny change. MarketBeat / Erste Group note
• Neutral Sentiment: Several valuation and analyst-opinion pieces revisit VZ after the Q1 surprise; useful for longer‑term positioning but not immediate catalysts. A Look At Verizon (VZ) Valuation After Strong Q1 Earnings And Subscriber Turnaround
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentators warn that rising total debt after the Frontier acquisition could pressure income investors and increase financial risk — this is the main structural downside investors cite. The Ticking Time Bomb That Could Force Income Investors to Sell Verizon Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Competitor OXIO hired a former Verizon executive as CCO — a small talent/competitive signal that could matter in niche TaaS segments but is unlikely to shift overall VZ fundamentals. OXIO Appoints Former Verizon Executive Jeremy Bolton as Chief Commercial Officer

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $48.01 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $48.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.00. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $200.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.29.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter 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, analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Verizon Communications from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications 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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