Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Reduces Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. reduced its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,848,599 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 403,792 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $238,213,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. KG&L Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 62.3% during the 4th quarter. KG&L Capital Management LLC now owns 24,483 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $994,000 after buying an additional 9,395 shares in the last quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Successful Portfolios LLC now owns 6,181 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 401 shares in the last quarter. Mainsail Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Mainsail Financial Group LLC now owns 25,501 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,039,000 after buying an additional 531 shares in the last quarter. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. now owns 89,064 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $3,628,000 after buying an additional 3,408 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Windle Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Windle Wealth LLC now owns 196,458 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $8,002,000 after buying an additional 16,937 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group issued an optimistic forecast for Verizon’s upcoming earnings, which supports upside expectations for EPS and could reinforce buy-side interest. Erste Group Bank Issues Optimistic Forecast for VZ Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call option activity (≈326k calls bought, ~300% above normal) signals speculative or hedged bullish positioning by options traders and can presage short-term upward pressure if buyers are directional. (market data)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are slightly revising fair value estimates upward as Verizon shows subscriber progress and cost-cutting; but the shift is modest and reflects mixed views on sustainability of margins and disclosure quality. How Verizon (VZ) Story Is Shifting As Cost Cuts Progress And Transparency Concerns Grow
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentators (including Jim Cramer) note Verizon’s operational moves and new leadership as constructive; this supports sentiment but hasn’t erased headwinds from heavy spending and telecom competition. Jim Cramer Says “Verizon’s Actually Got Some Game Here”
• Negative Sentiment: DBS Bank downgraded Verizon from Buy to Hold and set a $52 target, a visible analyst move that can pressure sentiment and prompt some profit-taking after the stock’s strong recent run. DBS Bank Downgrades Verizon (VZ) to Hold Despite Strong Stock Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon is publicly urging shareholders to reject several activist proposals (CEO/chair split, ESG-pay linkage, increased climate oversight). The proxy fight heightens governance uncertainty and could sour some institutional investors ahead of the May 21 annual meeting. How Investors May Respond To Verizon (VZ) Resisting Activist Push On Governance, ESG Pay, And Climate Oversight
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst notes and coverage have spotlighted transparency and disclosure concerns alongside aggressive cost-cutting and heavy fiber/build spending — a combination that raises near-term execution and margin risk. How Verizon (VZ) Story Is Shifting As Cost Cuts Progress And Transparency Concerns Grow

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $46.06 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $192.51 billion, a PE ratio of 11.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.29. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68.

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

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. 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 6.1%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

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.