Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Sells 158,610 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ lessened its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,373,204 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 158,610 shares during the period. Verizon Communications makes up 0.5% of Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ owned approximately 0.06% of Verizon Communications worth $104,302,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Intrust Bank NA raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 72,073 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,168,000 after buying an additional 1,401 shares during the period. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.2% in the third quarter. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. now owns 31,824 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,399,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.3% during the third quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 752,993 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $33,094,000 after acquiring an additional 1,890 shares in the last quarter. Advyzon Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 109.0% during the third quarter. Advyzon Investment Management LLC now owns 22,987 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,010,000 after acquiring an additional 11,987 shares during the period. Finally, Heartland Bank & Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 41.4% during the third quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 11,942 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $525,000 after acquiring an additional 3,495 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Evercore boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.02.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa Capital upgraded Verizon, a bullish broker action that likely helped lift sentiment and buying interest in the stock. Daiwa Capital upgrades Verizon Communications (VZ)
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage shows a constructive tilt: an aggregate “Moderate Buy” consensus helps validate demand among institutional investors and supports the stock’s rebound. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend-focused coverage is highlighting Verizon as a reliable income name this year, which can attract retail and institutional dividend-seeking flows that support the share price. Retirees Are Winning Big in 2026: 3 Popular Dividend Stocks Are Soaring
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying fundamentals remain supportive: Verizon beat Q4 revenue and EPS expectations and set FY2026 EPS guidance near $4.90–4.95, which gives investors confidence in cash flow and dividend coverage. (Company Q4 earnings release)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces are debating whether the recent price rebound already reflects Verizon’s long‑term value — useful reading for investors weighing further entry points versus taking profits. Is Verizon (VZ) Pricing Reflect Long Term Value After Recent Share Price Rebound
• Negative Sentiment: Balance-sheet and liquidity metrics remain points of caution: debt-to-equity is elevated and current/quick ratios are below 1, which could constrain capital flexibility if macro or capex pressures rise.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, 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 transaction of $429,905.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $49.24 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $42.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.14. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $50.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $207.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

Verizon Communications Company 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.