VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Has $117.62 Million Stock Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems boosted its Verizon stake by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, ending with 2.89 million shares worth about $117.6 million. Verizon now ranks as its 20th-largest holding.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their positions, and institutional ownership stands at 62.06% of Verizon’s stock. Meanwhile, company insiders hold only 0.03%, though director Hans Erik Vestberg and SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell recently sold shares.
• Verizon reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS of $1.28 and raised full-year guidance to 4.950–4.990 EPS, even as revenue came in slightly below estimates. Analysts remain mixed, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,887,805 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 125,100 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications makes up 0.7% of VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al's holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned about 0.07% of Verizon Communications worth $117,620,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,759,000 after purchasing an additional 16,704 shares during the period. United Bank raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 312.0% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 17,901 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 17.2% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,779,000 after purchasing an additional 6,034 shares during the period. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In other news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. This 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 company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon launched debt exchange and tender offers to streamline its balance sheet, which could reduce complexity and improve financial flexibility over time. Verizon Launches Note Exchange Offers to Streamline Debt
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s recent debt moves follow the Frontier Communications deal and include new hybrid bond issuance, signaling active capital structure management rather than a change in core operations. Verizon Debt Moves Reshape Capital Structure And Investor Risk Profile
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon remains in focus with analysts and investors, but the coverage is mostly style-score and attention driven rather than tied to a new fundamental catalyst. Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Top-Ranked Growth Stock: Should You Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market commentary flagged Verizon as one of the communication-services names under pressure in a rising-rate environment, since its dividend appeal can weaken versus short-term Treasuries. Verizon
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon also announced targeted layoffs, reinforcing the view that the company is still working through cost cuts and operating restructuring. Verizon CEO cuts to the chase on new layoffs and AI future

Analyst Ratings Changes

VZ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Dbs Bank cut shares of Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One 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. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 1.6%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.98 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $200.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 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 twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The company's 50-day moving average price is $48.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.35.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The business's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

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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