Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Sold by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

Key Points

• UBS AM reduced its Verizon stake by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 1.38 million shares. Even after the trim, it remained a major holder with 35.6 million shares valued at about $1.45 billion.
• Verizon posted solid quarterly results, reporting EPS of $1.28 versus estimates of $1.21 and revenue of $34.44 billion, up 2.7% year over year. The company also guided FY2026 EPS to 4.950–4.990.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but generally positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a target price of $50.59. Verizon also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, implying a 5.9% annual yield.

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lowered its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 35,627,861 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 1,379,663 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.84% of Verizon Communications worth $1,451,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VZ. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,759,000 after purchasing an additional 16,704 shares in the last quarter. United Bank raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 312.0% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 17,901 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,779,000 after purchasing an additional 6,034 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP raised its position 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary remain constructive on Verizon’s valuation, with several notes calling it inexpensive relative to its cash flow, earnings power, and dividend profile. Verizon: Steady, Cheap, And Still Standing
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon highlighted new AI-powered disaster-response tools, including “Digital Twin” network modeling, satellite connectivity, and mobile 5G assets, which could support network resilience and reinforce its infrastructure advantage. Verizon’s AI Disaster Tools Highlight Network Resilience And Valuation Gap
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment has also been helped by upbeat pieces describing Verizon as a defensive stock with income potential, including mentions of its raised guidance, postpaid subscriber momentum, and fiber expansion after the Frontier deal. Verizon: A Unique Opportunity In An Expensive Market
• Neutral Sentiment: An insider sold about 80% of her shares in a roughly $3 million transaction, which can draw attention but does not necessarily signal a change in Verizon’s business outlook. 1 Verizon Insider Sells 80% of Her Stock in $3 Million Deal. For Everyone Else, VZ Is a Good Buy Now.
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly trimmed its FY2027 earnings estimate for Verizon, but the change was minimal and the firm kept a Hold rating. Verizon Communications Inc. research note
• Neutral Sentiment: Some recent market updates noted Verizon outperforming a weaker broader market session, reinforcing the stock’s defensive character rather than pointing to a major company-specific catalyst. Verizon Communications (VZ) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on VZ. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Barclays raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. One 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 2.5%

NYSE:VZ opened at $48.10 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $47.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.47. The company has a market capitalization of $200.85 billion, a PE ratio of 11.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.02%.

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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