Meyer Handelman Co. Boosts Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Meyer Handelman Co. boosted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,278,561 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,318 shares during the period. Verizon Communications comprises about 1.5% of Meyer Handelman Co.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Meyer Handelman Co.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $54,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Robinswood Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the first quarter worth $27,000. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% in the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the 4th quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total value of $53,548.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 109,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,348,276.88. This trade represents a 0.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $49.25 on Friday. 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 $204.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $45.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.27. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68.

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

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th were given a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. 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 lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.84.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced plans to redeem $1.25 billion of 5.329% notes due in 2028 on September 21, 2026. Retiring the debt could reduce future interest expense and improve the company’s debt profile, although the redemption will require cash. Verizon to redeem debt securities on September 21, 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s greater focus on fiber following its Frontier acquisition could support broadband subscriber growth, expand network scale and strengthen its competitive position over time. Verizon Leans Into Fiber After the Frontier Close
• Positive Sentiment: Income investors continue to find Verizon attractive because of its approximately 5.7% dividend yield and established dividend history. Recent quarterly earnings also exceeded EPS expectations by $0.03, while fiscal 2026 EPS guidance remains $4.99 to $5.04.
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares worth $53,548 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The sale reduced his position by less than 1% and is unlikely to materially affect the investment case.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains balanced: Verizon has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $50.84, close to its recent trading range.
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Verizon’s final appeal of a $47 million FCC fine related to customer location-data practices. The ruling ends Verizon’s effort to recover the penalty and highlights continuing privacy and regulatory-compliance risks. Verizon Loses Final Supreme Court Appeal Over $47 Million FCC Fine
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation commentary argues that VZ may be trading above estimated fair value, while its high leverage, low liquidity ratios and declining revenue remain concerns. Quarterly revenue fell 0.7% year over year and missed consensus estimates, limiting the upside case.

Verizon Communications 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.