Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Sold by WealthShield Partners LLC

Key Points

• WealthShield Partners LLC cut its stake in Verizon by 38.6% in Q4, selling 31,157 shares and leaving it with 49,504 shares valued at about $2.04 million.
• Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares at an average $49.61 (≈$9.92M), reducing his ownership by 57.96%; other insiders also sold, leaving insiders with just 0.03% ownership.
• Verizon beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.28 vs. $1.21) and set FY2026 guidance of $4.95–$4.99 EPS; analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with a $50.59 target.

WealthShield Partners LLC decreased its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 38.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 49,504 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 31,157 shares during the quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $2,041,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Lmcg Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 60.9% in the 4th quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 17,742 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $723,000 after acquiring an additional 6,714 shares during the period. Praxis Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. Praxis Investment Management Inc. now owns 108,835 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $4,433,000 after purchasing an additional 16,150 shares during the last quarter. Encompass More Asset Management boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 141.3% during the fourth quarter. Encompass More Asset Management now owns 13,610 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $554,000 after purchasing an additional 7,970 shares in the last quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 57,429 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $2,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,950 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manske Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Manske Wealth Management now owns 85,155 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $3,468,000 after buying an additional 2,696 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on VZ. Dbs Bank cut shares of Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE VZ opened at $47.38 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $197.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The company has a 50-day moving average of $48.86 and a 200-day moving average of $44.15.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In related news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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