Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Purchased by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,995,209 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 433,849 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.21% of Verizon Communications worth $364,486,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,759,000 after buying an additional 16,704 shares in the last quarter. United Bank grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $339,000 after acquiring an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 312.0% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 17,901 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 17.2% in the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,779,000 after acquiring an additional 6,034 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Scotiabank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ stock opened at $47.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $197.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.24. 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.10.

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

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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