Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Sold by Bessemer Group Inc.

Key Points

• Bessemer Group Inc. reduced its Verizon stake by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 301,037 shares and leaving it with 3.43 million shares valued at about $139.8 million.
• Verizon received several positive catalysts, including FCC approval for its $1 billion spectrum purchase from U.S. Cellular, participation in a satellite venture with AT&T and T-Mobile, and a completed $4 billion notes offering to strengthen its capital structure.
• The company posted better-than-expected earnings of $1.28 per share on $34.44 billion in revenue for the latest quarter, though revenue slightly missed estimates and the stock was down 1.3% to $46.44.

Bessemer Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 8.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,432,633 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 301,037 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned 0.08% of Verizon Communications worth $139,811,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 9,257 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $377,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. grew its position in Verizon Communications by 0.8% in the second quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 30,400 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,315,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the third quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 5,035 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $221,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 26.2% in the third quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FCC approved Verizon’s $1 billion purchase of spectrum assets from U.S. Cellular, a move that should expand Verizon’s network capacity and coverage and strengthen its competitive position. FCC approves Verizon's $1 billion spectrum purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon joined AT&T and T-Mobile in a proposed satellite-based joint venture aimed at closing rural wireless dead zones, which could improve service quality, coverage reliability, and the industry’s long-term growth narrative. Verizon Joins Rivals On Satellite Venture Reshaping Coverage And Investor Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon closed a $4 billion junior subordinated notes offering, which was framed as strengthening its capital structure and supporting refinancing/funding flexibility. Verizon Strengthens Capital Structure with $4 Billion Notes
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish piece highlighted Verizon as one of 2026’s top defensive picks, citing undervaluation, a well-covered dividend, and potential upside over the next year. Why Verizon Is One of Our Top Defensive Picks In 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on Verizon’s competitive position versus T-Mobile, customer retention, and a customer-facing website blocking issue; these are more mixed in nature and do not clearly change the near-term investment case. T-Mobile vs. Verizon: Is It Time to Choose a New Carrier?
• Negative Sentiment: A report on new layoffs suggests Verizon is still pushing hard on cost cuts and restructuring, which may help margins but can also signal pressure on operations and demand. Verizon Announces New Layoffs as Cost-Cutting Continues Into 2026
• Negative Sentiment: One article warned that Verizon’s latest phone plan changes could push away customers, reinforcing concerns about churn in a highly competitive wireless market. Verizon’s latest phone plan change may drive away consumers

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction 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 $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications 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 sale, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE VZ opened at $46.44 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month 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. The stock has a market cap of $193.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.24. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $48.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.48.

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

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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