Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. Raises Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 28.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,966 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 11,072 shares during the period. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $2,196,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 61.2% during 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 position 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 buying an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Austin Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 830 shares in the last quarter. Winebrenner Capital Management LLC increased its position in Verizon Communications by 14.1% during the 2nd quarter. Winebrenner Capital Management LLC now owns 17,620 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $762,000 after purchasing an additional 2,180 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 141.6% in the 2nd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 36,139 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,564,000 after purchasing an additional 21,180 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Aduna — Verizon is a named equity backer of Aduna, which now claims CAMARA-compliant network-API coverage across the U.S.; this strengthens Verizon’s ability to monetize network intelligence and partner in API-based data services. Aduna Reaches Milestone as a Leading Provider of U.S. Network APIs
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley conference — CEO Dan Schulman will speak at the Morgan Stanley TMT conference on March 2 (webcast available), which gives management a forum to reinforce execution, guidance and 5G / monetization narrative to investors. Verizon to speak at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 2
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend / income appeal — multiple outlet lists continue to show Verizon as a high-yield, lower-volatility choice for income investors, supporting demand from yield-focused holders. 5 Very Safe High-Yield Dividend Stocks Boomers Can Hold Forever
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/coverage tone mixed — recent pieces recalibrating fair value targets and calling Verizon a momentum/value pick keep expectations balanced; some firms nudge targets up while others trim. How The Verizon Communications (VZ) Investment Narrative Is Shifting As Analysts Rework Price Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector commentary and presentations — recent Barclays presentation transcript and sector write-ups highlight Verizon’s 5G positioning vs. peers but contain no new concrete catalysts. Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) Presents at Barclays Communications and Content Symposium 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Related industry news — AST SpaceMobile’s government contract and other satellite/wholesale plays may affect partnership opportunities indirectly but are not direct Verizon fundamentals. AST SpaceMobile Jumps 9% After Government Contract Announcement (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: Rising short interest — short interest jumped ~34.8% in February to ~148.3M shares (~3.5% of float), signaling increased bearish bets that can amplify downside on weak headlines or technical flows. (Source: short-interest report)
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/regulatory risk — an amici brief urging the Supreme Court to require jury trials for FCC enforcement (involving AT&T and Verizon cases) could increase litigation uncertainty and potential costs if penalties must be tried before juries. NCLA Asks Supreme Court to Safeguard Jury Trial Rights in FCC Penalty Enforcement Cases

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VZ. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Evercore raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.02.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE:VZ opened at $49.26 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $42.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $50.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $207.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.16, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.33.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, equities research 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.7%. This is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.15%.

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.