Investors Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ)

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders bought 131,608 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 149% compared to the average volume of 52,934 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Moffett Nathanson reduced their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $52.50 to $51.50 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.90.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.75, for a total transaction of $50,325.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 102,166 shares in the company, valued at $4,674,094.50. This represents a 1.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 7,700 shares of company stock valued at $372,922 over the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. USS Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.6% in the first quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 713,156 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $35,790,000 after acquiring an additional 31,354 shares during the period. Cornerstone Capital Inc. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 8.6% in the second quarter. Cornerstone Capital Inc. now owns 317,284 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $13,434,000 after acquiring an additional 25,156 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 127.0% in the second quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 184,170 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $7,798,000 after acquiring an additional 103,046 shares in the last quarter. CPC Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 76.4% in the 1st quarter. CPC Advisors LLC now owns 123,287 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $6,189,000 after purchasing an additional 53,405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 2,450,129 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $122,996,000 after purchasing an additional 73,159 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon joined AT&T and T-Mobile in a wireless venture aimed at reducing coverage gaps in rural areas and remote travel corridors. The initiative could improve network reach, emergency communications and future satellite/direct-to-device services, potentially strengthening Verizon’s long-term competitive position. Verizon Communications Joins Wireless Venture To Close U.S. Coverage Gaps
• Positive Sentiment: Investors continue to view Verizon as a potentially attractive income stock as higher interest rates pressure telecom and other high-yield sectors. Verizon’s quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share represents an annualized payout of $2.83 and a yield of about 6.2%, supporting demand from value and income-oriented investors. 3 U.S. Dividend Stocks for Higher Rates Including Verizon
• Neutral Sentiment: Former Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg joined Humanitas AI as a senior adviser and investor. The appointment may enhance Vestberg’s profile in the AI infrastructure sector, but it does not appear to have a direct financial impact on Verizon. Former Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg Joins Humanitas
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is preparing network assets and emergency crews ahead of Tropical Storm Isaias. The response should protect service reliability and public-safety communications, though storm-related deployment and repair costs could create modest operating pressure. Verizon Readies Network for Tropical Storm Isaias
• Negative Sentiment: The FCC’s approval of a path for SpaceX to provide direct-to-phone satellite service increases the competitive threat to Verizon and other wireless carriers. Satellite connectivity could reduce carriers’ control over service in remote areas and require additional network investment or strategic partnerships. SpaceX Gets Permission to Compete With AT&T and Verizon From Orbit
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares worth approximately $50,325 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The sale reduced his holdings by only about 1%, making it a limited signal, but repeated insider sales may add modest pressure. Verizon CEO Sells 1,100 Shares

Verizon Communications Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of Verizon Communications stock traded up $0.57 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $46.34. The company had a trading volume of 14,341,363 shares, compared to its average volume of 26,898,990. The company’s 50-day moving average is $48.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.13. Verizon Communications has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $192.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.26.

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

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.70%.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company headquartered in New York City and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol VZ. The company was formed in 2000 through the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE and has developed into one of the largest communications providers in the United States.

Verizon’s consumer business provides wireless voice and data services, smartphones and other connected devices, home internet, broadband, and related communications products.