Mirova Boosts Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Mirova boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 51.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,534 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 23,405 shares during the period. Mirova’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $3,012,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 95.3% in the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 739.5% in the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners grew its position in Verizon Communications by 52.4% during the 2nd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 782 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: J.P. Morgan says near-term earnings headwinds are being offset by Verizon’s strategic fiber expansion, which supports medium-term growth prospects and helps justify a Hold rating. This highlights durable capital allocation toward higher-margin fiber that could underpin stable cash flow. Verizon Communications: Near-Term Earnings Headwinds Offset by Strategic Fiber Expansion, Justifying a Hold Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: New federal legislation (H.R.7752, the Kelsey Smith Act) would tighten requirements for emergency disclosure of device location data. Verizon may need process and systems updates; financial impact is unclear and likely limited to compliance costs unless the law changes operator liability or timelines materially. New Bill: Representative Derek Schmidt introduces H.R. 7752: Kelsey Smith Act
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector Q4 benchmarking pieces review Verizon’s recent results in context of wireless/cable peers. Useful for investors comparing execution and margins, but the writeup is largely descriptive rather than introducing new catalysts. Consumer Discretionary – Wireless, Cable and Satellite Stocks Q4 Results: Benchmarking Verizon (NYSE:VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: KeyBanc criticized Verizon’s new reporting structure (starting in Q1) as investor-unfriendly and said the disclosures reduce modeling transparency—this can increase uncertainty among quant and income investors who rely on detailed segment metrics. Reduced visibility often weighs on multiples for dividend-oriented stocks. KeyBanc Flags Verizon’s (VZ) New Reporting Structure as Investor-Unfriendly
• Negative Sentiment: Sen. Elizabeth Warren has questioned Verizon over recent layoffs and prior tax benefits, drawing political and reputational scrutiny that could bring regulatory or PR risk. That attention can pressure the stock if it prompts investigations or forces changes to workforce/cost plans. Verizon Faces Warren Scrutiny On Layoffs As Valuation Gap Draws Focus
• Negative Sentiment: A market note flagged Verizon’s share decline (larger than the market) in the latest session, reflecting investor reaction to the combined signals above (mixed analyst views, disclosure changes, and political scrutiny). Short-term sentiment appears negative as traders reprice uncertainty. Verizon Communications (VZ) Declines More Than Market: Some Information for Investors

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VZ has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. William Blair upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Evercore upped their price objective 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, Barclays initiated coverage on Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.03.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was 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. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ opened at $49.50 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $208.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.31. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $46.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.95. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.67.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

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

About Verizon Communications

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.