Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Stake Reduced by Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co

Key Points

• Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co cut its Verizon stake by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 24,000 shares and ending with 549,790 shares valued at about $22.4 million.
• Verizon reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.28 per share, while revenue rose 2.7% year over year to $34.44 billion. The company also reiterated FY 2026 guidance of 4.950–4.990 EPS.
• Analysts currently hold a Moderate Buy consensus on Verizon, with an average price target of $50.59. The stock traded around $48.03 and remains near its recent range highs.

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co reduced its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 549,790 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 24,000 shares during the quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $22,393,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.8% during the 4th 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 stake in Verizon Communications by 2.6% during the 4th 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. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 9,788 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 14,891 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 27,471 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In other news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised Verizon Communications from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Dbs Bank cut Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased 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. One research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $48.03 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market cap of $200.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.24. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.05. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68.

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

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon shareholders approved the company’s 2026 long-term incentive plan at the annual meeting, a sign of continued support for management’s compensation and retention framework. Verizon Shareholders Approve 2026 Long-Term Incentive Plan
• Positive Sentiment: Investor articles highlighted Verizon as a sub-$50 cash-flow and dividend-style stock that can still look attractive even with elevated Treasury yields, reinforcing the appeal of its steady earnings and income profile. The Sub-$50 Institutional Cash-Flow Machine That Remains Attractive Despite High Risk Free Yields
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting Verizon has been trading in the green for multiple sessions and remains a trending stock suggests improving near-term sentiment around the shares. Verizon trades in green for the seventh session
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-style articles also pointed to Verizon’s role in the growing 5G and AI connectivity theme, which can support the bull case for longer-term revenue opportunities. AI Can’t Reach the Real World Without These 3 Stocks

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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