Bank of America Corp DE Has $3.12 Billion Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 15.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 62,101,021 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,289,877 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $3,117,471,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VZ. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 61.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 16,704 shares during the last quarter. United Bank grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 11.5% during the second 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 increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 312.0% in the second 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 in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 17.2% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.2% in the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VZ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.84.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s second-quarter results showed adjusted earnings of $1.30 per share, ahead of the $1.27 consensus, while profit increased year over year. The stock also remains inexpensive relative to communications peers, trading at a low forward earnings multiple and offering a dividend yield above 6%. Verizon After Earnings: Cheap Stock or Value Trap?
• Positive Sentiment: Bain Capital and Tillman Global Holdings announced a $1.5 billion investment in Eaton Fiber, intended to fund Ripple Fiber’s acquisition and accelerate Verizon’s fiber broadband expansion across the United States. The investment could support Verizon’s fixed-wireless and fiber growth without representing a direct funding burden for Verizon. Bain Capital and Tillman Global Holdings Announce $1.5 Billion Investment in Eaton Fiber
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised several price targets, including TD Cowen’s increase to $56 and Morgan Stanley’s increase to $52. Recent commentary also points to improved subscriber growth, lower churn, bundling gains, and potential future revenue from AI infrastructure and data-center connectivity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s earnings beat was tempered by revenue of $34.25 billion, below the $35.16 billion consensus, with revenue down year over year. Analysts remain divided over whether the stock’s discount reflects attractive value or persistent growth concerns. With a 6% Yield, Is Verizon Stock a Buy as Turnaround Continues?
• Negative Sentiment: The immediate pressure came from reports that SpaceX is exploring urban-grade wireless spectrum through acquisitions or a potential federal auction bid. Investors fear a direct satellite-to-mobile competitor could challenge Verizon’s pricing power, customer retention, and market share, weighing on major U.S. wireless carriers. AT&T and Verizon Tumble as Musk’s SpaceX Plots Direct Mobile Threat

Verizon Communications Price Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $47.21 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $45.39 and its 200-day moving average is $46.40. 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 company has a market capitalization of $197.11 billion, a PE ratio of 12.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The firm’s revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 73.70%.

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.