Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Stock Holdings Increased by Buck Wealth Strategies LLC

Key Points

• Buck Wealth Strategies LLC increased its Verizon stake by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 29,398 shares and bringing its total to 294,449 shares worth about $12 million.
• Verizon reported stronger-than-expected earnings for the latest quarter, posting $1.28 EPS versus estimates of $1.21, while revenue rose 2.7% year over year to $34.44 billion.
• Analysts remain cautiously positive on the stock, with several firms raising price targets and MarketBeat’s consensus rating sitting at “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $50.59.

Buck Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 294,449 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 29,398 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications accounts for 1.5% of Buck Wealth Strategies LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $11,993,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VZ. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of VZ stock opened at $47.21 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $197.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $48.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.Verizon Communications's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon will have CEO Dan Schulman speak at two upcoming investor conferences, giving management a chance to outline strategy, answer questions on the business outlook, and potentially reinforce confidence in the company’s execution. Verizon to Speak at Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Verizon to $4.96 from $4.92, signaling slightly better earnings expectations and suggesting analysts see stable fundamentals ahead. Verizon Communications (VZ) Surged from Excellent Execution
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s broader fiber expansion and buyback plans continue to support the investment case, as the company now has a larger fiber footprint and a $25 billion repurchase authorization that can help offset share dilution and support per-share metrics. Verizon Weighs Frontier Fiber Expansion Against Buybacks And Cost Cuts
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon also confirmed a few hundred job cuts as part of an ongoing operational revamp. The move supports cost discipline, but it is not large enough on its own to materially change the near-term earnings outlook. Verizon cutting a few hundred jobs nationwide

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VZ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup raised 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. One equities research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.59.

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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