Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Sold by Atria Investments Inc

Key Points

• Atria Investments cut its Verizon stake by 10% in the fourth quarter, selling 33,694 shares and leaving it with 304,749 shares worth about $12.4 million.
• Several other institutions also adjusted positions in Verizon, and institutional investors still own 62.06% of the company’s shares.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive on Verizon: the stock’s consensus rating is Moderate Buy with an average target price of $50.59, while the company recently beat EPS expectations and raised its FY 2026 guidance.

Atria Investments Inc decreased its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 304,749 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 33,694 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $12,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its position in Verizon Communications by 4.3% in the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $14,761,000 after acquiring an additional 13,787 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $13,521,000 after buying an additional 17,495 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 14.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 46,699 shares during the period. Econ Financial Services Corp lifted its stake 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 worth $3,184,000 after purchasing an additional 14,862 shares during the period. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 18.4% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VZ. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Scotiabank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FCC approved Verizon’s $1 billion spectrum purchase from U.S. Cellular, removing a key regulatory hurdle and supporting Verizon’s efforts to expand network capacity and coverage. FCC approves Verizon's $1 billion spectrum purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon also launched a $4 billion junior subordinated notes offering and related debt exchange/tender activity, which suggests management is actively restructuring and extending its capital profile to improve financial flexibility. Verizon Strengthens Capital Structure with $4 Billion Notes
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile said they plan to form a joint venture to improve rural coverage using satellite-based technology, a move that could improve service quality and reduce long-term coverage gaps. US wireless carriers to launch joint venture to address rural dead zones
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon announced additional layoffs as part of a broader cost-cutting and AI automation push, which may help margins but also signals ongoing restructuring pressure. Verizon Announces New Layoffs as Cost-Cutting Continues Into 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern remains around Verizon’s heavy debt load and the need for repeated capital-structure changes, which can raise questions about balance-sheet risk even as the company refinances and reorganizes its obligations. Verizon Debt Moves Reshape Capital Structure And Investor Risk Profile
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary also points to customer-retention pressure and plan changes that could drive churn, offsetting the more constructive news on spectrum and network expansion. Verizon’s latest phone plan change may drive away consumers

Insider Activity

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This trade represents 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $47.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $196.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.24. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $48.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68.

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