Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Purchased by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Key Points

• Oppenheimer & Co. increased its Verizon stake by 13.9% in the second quarter, buying 77,303 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 631,758 shares valued at approximately $26.75 million. Institutional investors collectively own 62.06% of Verizon.
• Verizon’s latest quarterly results showed EPS of $1.30, ahead of the $1.27 consensus, while revenue declined 0.7% year over year to $34.25 billion. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $4.99–$5.04.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, equal to an annualized $2.83 dividend and a 5.7% yield. Wall Street’s consensus rating remains “Hold,” with a target price of $50.84.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 13.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 631,758 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 77,303 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $26,749,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% in the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Robinswood Financial LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the first quarter worth about $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 173.0% in the fourth quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $49.28 on Thursday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $45.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The company has a market capitalization of $204.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.83, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.25. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The business's revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is 73.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. Freedom Capital raised Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $50.84.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s fiber strategy is receiving attention following its Frontier acquisition. Greater fiber scale could support broadband growth, improve network economics and strengthen the company’s competitive position. Verizon Communications Leans Into Fiber After the Frontier Close
• Positive Sentiment: Income-focused coverage continues to highlight Verizon’s roughly 6% dividend yield and 20 consecutive years of dividend increases. Analysts note that the payout appears secure, although limited growth remains a consideration for investors. Verizon’s Dividend Looks Secure But Investors Should Keep an Eye on Growth
• Positive Sentiment: A post-earnings review presents Verizon as a potential buy-or-hold candidate for income investors. The company recently exceeded quarterly EPS expectations and maintains fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of approximately $4.99 to $5.04. Verizon Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q2 Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The small transaction reduces his holdings by less than 1% and is unlikely to materially change the investment outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles criticizing Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF’s methodology and high-yield “dividend traps” concern other securities and do not directly alter Verizon’s fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Verizon’s final appeal of a $47 million FCC fine tied to customer location-data practices. The ruling ends the recovery effort and reinforces regulatory and privacy-compliance risks for the telecom operator. Supreme Court Rejects Verizon Bid to Recover $47M FCC Fine

Insider Activity

In other Verizon Communications news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total transaction of $53,548.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 109,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,348,276.88. The trade was a 0.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VZ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report).

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.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source