Sen. Gary C. Peters Buys Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Stock

Senator Gary C. Peters (D-Michigan) recently bought shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ). In a filing disclosed on January 07th, the Senator disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Verizon Communications stock on December 12th.

Senator Gary C. Peters also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) on 12/12/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Conagra Brands (NYSE:CAG) on 11/14/2025.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

NYSE:VZ opened at $40.46 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $170.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.34. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $40.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.88. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $37.58 and a one year high of $47.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.02. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The business had revenue of $33.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications’s revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be issued a $0.69 dividend. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 12th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 58.97%.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call buying — Investors purchased ~276,566 call options on VZ Friday (≈+278% vs. typical volume), signaling short-term bullish bets or hedging ahead of catalysts. This elevated options flow can increase near-term upside trading interest.
• Positive Sentiment: Outpacing the wireless industry — Zacks highlights VZ outperforming peers over the past year thanks to 5G upgrades, network slicing and new partnerships, suggesting operational momentum that could support longer‑term revenue growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Near-term market beat — Zacks also notes VZ outpaced the broader market on Jan. 8, reflecting supportive sentiment from investors reacting to recent operational/news items. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Product/IoT initiatives highlighted — Coverage on Verizon’s event perks and Industrial IoT push points to potential revenue diversification beyond consumer wireless, a positive catalyst if adoption accelerates. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: High‑yield appeal — The Motley Fool recommends VZ as a top high‑yield dividend stock (yield ~7%), which can attract income-focused investors, especially if rate cuts materialize. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro rate narrative — Commentary that the Fed should cut rates this year could be supportive for high‑yield telecoms like VZ if realized, but this is speculative and timing/scale of cuts remain uncertain. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Job‑cut chatter and dividend concerns — Social media summaries report large workforce reductions and debate over dividend sustainability ahead of earnings, raising short‑term sentiment risk and questions about execution and cost structure. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: New 12‑month low flagged — Coverage noting VZ reached a new 12‑month low raises caution for momentum investors and underscores current downside pressure for the stock. Article Title

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Verizon Communications by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 373,904,749 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,433,114,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117,733 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,470,788,000 after buying an additional 7,276,809 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 100,326,792 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,322,700,000 after buying an additional 1,101,504 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,504,150,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 45,265,695 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,989,427,000 after acquiring an additional 557,576 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VZ shares. Wall Street Zen cut Verizon Communications from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.50 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered Verizon Communications from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.47.

About Senator Peters

Gary Peters (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Michigan. He assumed office on January 3, 2015. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Peters (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Michigan. He won in the general election on November 3, 2020. Peters completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers. Peters was elected to the Senate in 2014. On May 1, 2013, Peters announced he would seek election to the United States Senate seat that was being vacated in 2014 by retiring Michigan Sen. Carl Levin. Peters ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 5, 2014, before he defeated Terri Lynn Land (R), Jim Fulner (Libertarian), Richard Matkin (U.S. Taxpayers), and Chris Wahmhoff (Green) in the general election on November 4, 2014. Peters was previously a member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Michigan’s 9th Congressional District from 2009 to 2013 and Michigan’s 14th Congressional District from 2013 to 2015. He also served as Commissioner of the Michigan Lottery from 2003 to 2007. As of a 2014 analysis of multiple outside rankings, Peters is an average Democratic member of Congress, meaning he will vote with the Democratic Party on the majority of bills. On January 28, 2021, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) appointed Peters to head the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for the 2022 campaign cycle. Peters was born in 1958 in Pontiac, Michigan. After graduating from Alma College in 1980, Peters went on to receive his M.B.A. from the University of Detroit and his J.D. from Wayne State University in 1985 and 1989, respectively. Prior to his political career, Peters worked as a professor and investment banker. He also served in the United States Naval Reserve from 1993 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2005.

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.