Investment Research Partners LLC Acquires New Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Investment Research Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 25,212 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,014,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter valued at $63,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 685.1% during the third quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 2,049 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 1,788 shares during the period. Alexander Labrunerie & CO. Inc. bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the third quarter valued at about $235,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.6% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 176,673 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $7,765,000 after purchasing an additional 2,729 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the third quarter valued at about $45,767,000. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: J.P. Morgan says near-term earnings headwinds are being offset by Verizon’s strategic fiber expansion, which supports medium-term growth prospects and helps justify a Hold rating. This highlights durable capital allocation toward higher-margin fiber that could underpin stable cash flow. Verizon Communications: Near-Term Earnings Headwinds Offset by Strategic Fiber Expansion, Justifying a Hold Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: New federal legislation (H.R.7752, the Kelsey Smith Act) would tighten requirements for emergency disclosure of device location data. Verizon may need process and systems updates; financial impact is unclear and likely limited to compliance costs unless the law changes operator liability or timelines materially. New Bill: Representative Derek Schmidt introduces H.R. 7752: Kelsey Smith Act
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector Q4 benchmarking pieces review Verizon’s recent results in context of wireless/cable peers. Useful for investors comparing execution and margins, but the writeup is largely descriptive rather than introducing new catalysts. Consumer Discretionary – Wireless, Cable and Satellite Stocks Q4 Results: Benchmarking Verizon (NYSE:VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc criticized Verizon’s new reporting structure (starting in Q1) as investor-unfriendly and said the disclosures reduce modeling transparency—this can increase uncertainty among quant and income investors who rely on detailed segment metrics. Reduced visibility often weighs on multiples for dividend-oriented stocks. KeyBanc Flags Verizon’s (VZ) New Reporting Structure as Investor-Unfriendly
• Negative Sentiment: Sen. Elizabeth Warren has questioned Verizon over recent layoffs and prior tax benefits, drawing political and reputational scrutiny that could bring regulatory or PR risk. That attention can pressure the stock if it prompts investigations or forces changes to workforce/cost plans. Verizon Faces Warren Scrutiny On Layoffs As Valuation Gap Draws Focus
• Negative Sentiment: A market note flagged Verizon’s share decline (larger than the market) in the latest session, reflecting investor reaction to the combined signals above (mixed analyst views, disclosure changes, and political scrutiny). Short-term sentiment appears negative as traders reprice uncertainty. Verizon Communications (VZ) Declines More Than Market: Some Information for Investors

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VZ shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. William Blair raised shares of Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.03.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 2.0%

NYSE:VZ opened at $49.50 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.95. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $208.78 billion, a PE ratio of 12.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.31.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The business had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications’s revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.15%.

About Verizon Communications

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.