Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Sells 31,353 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Wedge Capital Management cut its Verizon stake by 8.9% in the second quarter, selling 31,353 shares and retaining 321,398 shares valued at approximately $13.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 62.06% of Verizon.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with nine Buy ratings and twelve Holds; Verizon has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $50.84. Several analysts recently raised their targets, while BNP Paribas Exane lowered its target to $44.
• Verizon exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $1.30 versus the $1.27 consensus, though revenue declined 0.7% year over year to $34.25 billion. The company’s quarterly dividend is $0.7075 per share, representing a 6.0% annualized yield.

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC trimmed its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 8.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 321,398 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 31,353 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $13,608,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VZ. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 1.7% during the second quarter. Butensky & Cohen Financial Security Inc. now owns 122,165 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $5,172,000 after purchasing an additional 2,087 shares in the last quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Verizon Communications by 11.6% in the second quarter. Whitener Capital Management Inc. now owns 42,340 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,793,000 after buying an additional 4,413 shares in the last quarter. Tema ETFs LLC raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 10.7% in the second quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 82,352 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $3,487,000 after buying an additional 7,975 shares during the period. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.5% in the second quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,683 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $325,000 after buying an additional 403 shares during the period. Finally, Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 25,118 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,057,000 after buying an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, 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. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $50.84.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising their Verizon earnings forecasts slightly. Erste Group lifted its FY2026 estimate to $5.01 per share from $4.99 and its FY2027 estimate to $5.26 from $5.23. The revisions reinforce the current-year consensus forecast of approximately $5.03 per share, although the bank maintained a “Hold” rating. Verizon earnings estimate article
• Positive Sentiment: Stronger wireless performance and potential AI infrastructure deals are improving Verizon’s growth narrative. Rising estimates could support valuation and investor confidence, particularly given the company’s relatively defensive telecommunications business. Verizon earnings revisions article
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon began preorders for Google’s Pixel 11 lineup, including installment and annual-upgrade plans through its Simplicity offering. The launch may help Verizon attract and retain higher-value wireless customers, though the immediate financial impact is likely limited. Verizon Pixel 11 preorder article
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to arrests and convictions related to fiber vandalism in Southern California. The program may deter future outages and protect network reliability, but recent disruptions highlight ongoing infrastructure-security costs and operational risks. Verizon network vandalism reward article
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon still faces significant debt and competition from AT&T, T-Mobile and lower-priced wireless providers. These pressures could limit margin expansion and make the company’s growth investments—including AI infrastructure and network upgrades—more difficult to finance. Verizon competitive and debt risks article

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $46.92 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $194.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $45.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.92. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%.The company had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.22 EPS. The firm's revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is 73.70%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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