Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Stock Holdings Trimmed by Burney Co.

Key Points

• Burney Co. trimmed its stake: The firm cut its Verizon holding by 17.9% in Q4, selling 41,258 shares and retaining 189,732 shares valued at about $7.73 million, while institutional investors own roughly 62% of the stock.
• Notable insider selling: Insiders have sold 218,148 shares over the past three months (≈$10.78 million), including recent sales by SVP Mary‑Lee Stillwell and EVP Joseph J. Russo that reduced their ownership by double‑digit percentages.
• Dividend boost and guidance/ratings: Verizon raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (annualized $2.83) for a ~6.1% yield, set FY2026 EPS guidance of 4.900–4.950, and holds a consensus "Moderate Buy" from analysts with an average price target of $50.56.

Burney Co. reduced its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 17.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 189,732 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 41,258 shares during the quarter. Burney Co.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $7,728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 95.3% in the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 739.5% in the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the period. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on VZ shares. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded Verizon Communications from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.56.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group issued an optimistic forecast for Verizon’s upcoming earnings, which supports upside expectations for EPS and could reinforce buy-side interest. Erste Group Bank Issues Optimistic Forecast for VZ Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call option activity (≈326k calls bought, ~300% above normal) signals speculative or hedged bullish positioning by options traders and can presage short-term upward pressure if buyers are directional. (market data)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are slightly revising fair value estimates upward as Verizon shows subscriber progress and cost-cutting; but the shift is modest and reflects mixed views on sustainability of margins and disclosure quality. How Verizon (VZ) Story Is Shifting As Cost Cuts Progress And Transparency Concerns Grow
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentators (including Jim Cramer) note Verizon’s operational moves and new leadership as constructive; this supports sentiment but hasn’t erased headwinds from heavy spending and telecom competition. Jim Cramer Says “Verizon’s Actually Got Some Game Here”
• Negative Sentiment: DBS Bank downgraded Verizon from Buy to Hold and set a $52 target, a visible analyst move that can pressure sentiment and prompt some profit-taking after the stock’s strong recent run. DBS Bank Downgrades Verizon (VZ) to Hold Despite Strong Stock Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon is publicly urging shareholders to reject several activist proposals (CEO/chair split, ESG-pay linkage, increased climate oversight). The proxy fight heightens governance uncertainty and could sour some institutional investors ahead of the May 21 annual meeting. How Investors May Respond To Verizon (VZ) Resisting Activist Push On Governance, ESG Pay, And Climate Oversight
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst notes and coverage have spotlighted transparency and disclosure concerns alongside aggressive cost-cutting and heavy fiber/build spending — a combination that raises near-term execution and margin risk. How Verizon (VZ) Story Is Shifting As Cost Cuts Progress And Transparency Concerns Grow

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $46.06 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.62. The company has a market cap of $192.51 billion, a PE ratio of 11.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.29. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The business's revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This is a boost from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

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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