Insider Selling: Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) CEO Sells $52,415.00 in Stock

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.65, for a total value of $52,415.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 104,366 shares in the company, valued at $4,973,039.90. This trade represents a 1.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Kyle Malady also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, September 8th, Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.98, for a total value of $54,978.00.
• On Tuesday, September 1st, Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.50, for a total value of $55,550.00.
• On Tuesday, August 25th, Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.06, for a total transaction of $55,066.00.
• On Tuesday, August 18th, Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total transaction of $53,548.00.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ opened at $47.11 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $195.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68. The company’s fifty day moving average is $48.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.41.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.70%.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon expanded its Motorola lineup with foldable phones, wearables and customer incentives, including device discounts, trade-in savings, flexible upgrades, loyalty rewards and AI features. The strategy could support wireless additions and reduce churn, although discounts may pressure margins. Verizon expands premium Motorola lineup
• Positive Sentiment: An investment analysis maintained a bullish view, citing lower churn, fiber expansion, the Frontier integration and AI Connect as potential earnings drivers. The analysis assigned VZ a $57 price target, implying substantial upside from recent levels, while noting the shares trade at a discount to the telecom sector. Verizon fiber, churn and AI Connect analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s quarterly dividend remains a key attraction for income-focused investors. The company declared a $0.7075 quarterly payout, equivalent to approximately $2.83 annually and a yield near 6% based on recent prices. Verizon dividend and insider trading report
• Neutral Sentiment: KeyBanc’s bearish broadband call weighed on Comcast, but the firm left AT&T and Verizon unchanged. This suggests Verizon is viewed as comparatively stable, though it provides no new upgrade catalyst. KeyBanc broadband view and Verizon
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction reduced his direct holdings by roughly 1%, making it a limited signal rather than a significant change in management sentiment. Verizon executive stock sale filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on VZ. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson dropped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.97.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VZ. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 5.5% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 836,939 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $35,436,000 after purchasing an additional 43,313 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 9.6% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 171,425 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $7,258,000 after buying an additional 14,974 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,110,356 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $555,091,000 after buying an additional 214,932 shares during the last quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 33.2% during the 2nd quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA now owns 63,011 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $2,668,000 after buying an additional 15,714 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 338,532 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $14,333,000 after buying an additional 1,479 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and related technology services. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, 5G connectivity, fixed wireless access, fiber-optic internet through Verizon Fios, home services, and connected-device solutions.

Through Verizon Business, the company serves enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations with communications networks, managed connectivity, cybersecurity, cloud and edge-computing services, unified communications, and Internet of Things solutions.