TD Asset Management Inc Lowers Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

TD Asset Management Inc reduced its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,948,039 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 186,537 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc owned about 0.07% of Verizon Communications worth $129,566,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 16,704 shares during the last quarter. United Bank increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 11.5% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 7.7% in the second quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC now owns 11,653 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $504,000 after purchasing an additional 830 shares during the period. Winebrenner Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 14.1% in the 2nd quarter. Winebrenner Capital Management LLC now owns 17,620 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $762,000 after purchasing an additional 2,180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 141.6% during the 2nd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 36,139 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,564,000 after purchasing an additional 21,180 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Aduna announced it has CAMARA-compliant nationwide network API agreements with U.S. carriers — including backing from Verizon — which could expand Verizon’s channel for selling network intelligence services and strengthen enterprise/wholesale revenue prospects. Aduna Reaches Milestone as a Leading Provider of U.S. Network APIs
• Positive Sentiment: Management will speak at the Morgan Stanley TMT Conference on March 2 — a live investor forum where Verizon can provide updated guidance, 5G/commercial progress, or capital allocation signals that can move the stock on any new detail. Verizon to speak at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 2
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst write-ups and momentum pieces have nudged fair-value models slightly higher and highlighted Verizon’s improving 2026 estimates and dividend appeal, supporting investor interest after a strong month of gains. How The Verizon Communications (VZ) Investment Narrative Is Shifting As Analysts Rework Price Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s presentation transcript from the Barclays Communications & Content Symposium provides operational detail but contained no headline surprises — useful for investors but not an immediate catalyst. Verizon Presents at Barclays Symposium (Transcript)
• Neutral Sentiment: Press coverage (Zacks, Forbes, 247WallSt) continues to profile Verizon as a momentum/dividend pick; these stories reinforce retail interest but are incremental rather than market-moving. Buy Or Sell Verizon Stock At $50?
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose sharply in February — up ~34.8% to ~148.3M shares (≈3.5% of float) — increasing potential downward pressure and volatility if bearish sentiment persists or if additional catalysts emerge. (Short-interest data reported 2/13/26)
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/regulatory risk is active: an amici brief asking the Supreme Court to require jury trials in FCC enforcement cases keeps potential fines and compliance exposure in play; outcomes could materially affect future regulatory penalties or timelines. NCLA Asks Supreme Court to Safeguard Jury Trial Rights in FCC Penalty Enforcement Cases

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of VZ opened at $49.26 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $50.47. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $42.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.28. The company has a market cap of $207.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.16, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VZ has been the subject of several research analyst reports. William Blair raised shares of Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Evercore boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.02.

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.