Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV Sells 36,694 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV trimmed its Verizon stake by 71.8%, selling 36,694 shares in Q4 and leaving 14,414 shares valued at about $587,000.
• Verizon reported a Q1 EPS beat and postpaid subscriber gains, prompting price-target lifts from firms like JPMorgan and a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a target near $50.59.
• Notable insider selling occurred recently—EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares and Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares—with insiders offloading 218,148 shares in the last 90 days; insiders now own only 0.03% of the stock.

Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV trimmed its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 71.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,414 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 36,694 shares during the quarter. Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $587,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 95.3% during the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the third quarter worth $29,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 surprise and subscriber momentum — Verizon reported an EPS beat and posted first-quarter postpaid phone subscriber gains, which investors view as evidence the turnaround is gaining traction; that momentum is being cited in valuation write-ups and helped lift sentiment. A Look At Verizon (VZ) Valuation After Strong Q1 Earnings And Subscriber Turnaround
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target bump — JPMorgan raised its VZ price target from $49 to $52 (while keeping a neutral rating), signaling incremental upside in analyst expectations and providing a short-term technical catalyst. JPMorgan raises VZ price target
• Positive Sentiment: Partner/network recognition — Verizon’s partner Cydcor won Verizon’s 2025 ACD Wireless Agent of the Year award, reinforcing channel strength and sales execution at the retail/agent level. Cydcor Earns Verizon's 2025 ACD Wireless Agent of the Year Award
• Neutral Sentiment: Trending attention / retail interest — Zacks and other outlets note increased user interest in VZ; trending status can boost volume and volatility but is not a guarantee of sustained direction. Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Adjacency to growth markets — Verizon is listed among players in industry reports (e.g., video telematics), indicating optionality beyond consumer wireless if execution in enterprise/commercial products scales. North America and Europe Video Telematics Market Research Report 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure from T‑Mobile — comparisons and service/perk analyses highlight T‑Mobile’s strengths and its broadband expansion, which could pressure pricing and share in both wireless and home broadband segments. T-Mobile vs. Verizon: Which Big Phone Carrier Works Best for You?
• Negative Sentiment: T‑Mobile’s broadband blitz — T‑Mobile’s capital-efficient push into broadband is described as a direct challenge to incumbents and could create longer-term margin and market-share pressure for Verizon. T-Mobile's Broadband Blitz Puts Cable on Notice (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: Debt and income-investor risk — commentary (e.g., The Motley Fool) flags rising leverage after the Frontier acquisition as a potential “time bomb” for income investors, which could limit upside multiple expansion and increase sensitivity to interest rates. The Ticking Time Bomb That Could Force Income Investors to Sell Verizon Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Minor analyst EPS trim — Erste Group slightly cut FY2027 EPS estimates for Verizon, a small reminder that forecasts remain sensitive to revenue mix and legacy/merger-related costs. Erste Group trims VZ FY2027 EPS estimate

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on VZ. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. William Blair raised shares of Verizon Communications to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price 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. Finally, KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.3%

VZ opened at $48.17 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $201.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.25.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during 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%. Verizon Communications's revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $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 4.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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