Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Stake Raised by Equity Investment Corp

Key Points

• Equity Investment Corp increased its Verizon stake by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, bringing holdings to 4.64 million shares valued at about $189.1 million. Verizon is now the firm’s second-largest position and makes up roughly 3.8% of its portfolio.
• Institutional ownership in Verizon remains very high at 62.06%, with several big investors also adding shares, including Norges Bank, Bank of New York Mellon, State Street, and Vanguard. This suggests continued strong interest from large holders despite mixed analyst views.
• Verizon reported better-than-expected EPS of $1.28 on revenue of $34.44 billion, and it continues to offer a 6.0% dividend yield. Analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” on average, with an average target price of $50.59.

Equity Investment Corp grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,642,061 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 65,630 shares during the period. Verizon Communications makes up about 3.8% of Equity Investment Corp's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Equity Investment Corp owned about 0.11% of Verizon Communications worth $189,071,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VZ. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth $2,357,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 31.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 31,584,162 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,286,423,000 after purchasing an additional 7,509,055 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $9,470,788,000 after purchasing an additional 7,276,809 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth $217,125,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several recent commentaries argue Verizon looks undervalued, citing its roughly 6% dividend yield, strong free-cash-flow generation, and defensive appeal in a volatile market. One note also highlights raised 2026 guidance, mid-single-digit EPS growth expectations, and robust postpaid net adds as signs of improving operating momentum. Article: Verizon: A Unique Opportunity In An Expensive Market
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also focusing on Verizon’s fiber expansion, including the Frontier acquisition, which should broaden its broadband footprint and improve its competitive position versus satellite-based connectivity rivals and other wireless peers. Article: Verizon: Satellite Pessimism Overly Done - Rich Upside And Income Potential Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: A market note said Verizon rose while the broader market dipped, reinforcing its image as a defensive stock that can hold up when investors rotate toward steadier income names. Article: Verizon Communications (VZ) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2027 EPS estimate for Verizon, but the change was minimal and the firm kept a Hold rating, suggesting only a modest impact on the stock. Source: MarketBeat analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Other recent articles compare Verizon with AT&T and AST SpaceMobile, but these pieces are mostly relative-value discussions rather than direct catalysts for VZ. Article: VZ vs. ASTS: Which Connectivity Stock is the Better Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary warns that Verizon still faces limits to future profitability improvement, meaning investors may want to temper expectations even though the stock has defensive qualities. Article: Verizon: A Good Defensive Play In Times Of Market Exuberance

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on VZ. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:VZ opened at $47.04 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $196.43 billion, a PE ratio of 11.47, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.45.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during 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 business's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is presently 69.02%.

Verizon Communications Company 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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