Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Sold by OFI Invest Asset Management

Key Points

• OFI Invest Asset Management cut its Verizon stake by 89.8% in Q4, selling 290,433 shares and leaving 33,079 shares worth $1.318 million at period end.
• Verizon raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (annualized $2.83), a ~5.9% yield, with an ex-dividend/record date of April 10 and payment on May 1.
• Verizon beat Q4 estimates with EPS of $1.09 (consensus $1.06) and revenue of $36.38 billion (up 2% YoY), and set FY2026 guidance of 4.90–4.95 EPS versus a sell-side forecast near 4.69.

OFI Invest Asset Management lowered its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 89.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,079 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 290,433 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,318,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. State Street Corp raised its position in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $9,470,788,000 after acquiring an additional 7,276,809 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in Verizon Communications by 51.1% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,512,228 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $637,812,000 after acquiring an additional 4,905,101 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the third quarter worth about $161,346,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 50.4% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,848,766 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $385,983,000 after acquiring an additional 2,965,033 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Credit Agricole S A acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the third quarter valued at approximately $76,631,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $47.72 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $49.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.29.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications's revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This is an increase from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the business'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 transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the sale, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Huge one‑day call buying: Traders bought roughly 325,956 VZ call options on Thursday (≈300% above average), which is a strong short‑term bullish flow that can lift the stock or signal expectation of upside catalysts.
• Positive Sentiment: Media/analyst praise and momentum: Commentary from Jim Cramer and articles highlighting Verizon’s recent outperformance, fiber expansion and bundle strategy reinforce investor confidence in upside from network investments. Jim Cramer Says “Verizon’s Actually Got Some Game Here”
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend appeal: Coverage in Barron’s / Yahoo highlights Verizon as a 5%-yielding, dividend-raising name — attracts income investors and supports base demand for the stock. These Companies Pay 5% Dividend Yields and Are Raising Them Too
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamental/strategy coverage: Analysts and outlets note Verizon’s fiber growth, the Frontier deal and bundling that helped VZ climb ~20% in recent months — supports a constructive medium‑term thesis even as margins face pressure. Verizon Shares Rise 20.6% in Three Months: How to Play the Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Erste Group nudged FY2027 EPS estimates slightly higher and keeps a Strong‑Buy stance, indicating some sell‑side conviction beneath the recent run. (Research note referenced 4/2)
• Neutral Sentiment: Advertising disclosure ruling: BBB’s NAD found Verizon’s pricing disclosures adequate in a challenge by T‑Mobile — removes a small regulatory/PR overhang but has limited price impact. NAD Finds Verizon Wireless Pricing Disclosures Adequate
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context: Macro/geopolitical caution pushes some investors toward dividends as a safety trade — this supports Verizon’s appeal but may also cap aggressive growth positioning. Geopolitical Risks Are Seriously High. Why I'd Shift to Dividends
• Negative Sentiment: DBS downgrade to Hold: DBS cut VZ from Buy to Hold and set a $52 target, citing the stock’s strong run and limited near‑term upside — this likely triggered some profit‑taking and selling pressure. DBS Bank Downgrades Verizon (VZ) to Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term pullback/price action: Several pieces note a recent pullback after a strong YTD run, and a report flagged the stock closing lower despite broader market gains — signaling profit‑taking and rotation out of the name. Verizon Communications (VZ) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on VZ shares. KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, William Blair raised shares of Verizon Communications to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.56.

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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