Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Shares Unloaded Rep. Pete Sessions

Representative Pete Sessions (Republican-Texas) recently sold shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ). In a filing disclosed on March 09th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Verizon Communications stock on March 9th.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.0%

VZ traded up $0.01 on Thursday, reaching $50.69. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,988,650 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,839,242. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.41. The business’s 50 day moving average is $45.00 and its 200 day moving average is $42.73. The stock has a market cap of $213.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.31.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its 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 return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The company had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.6%. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $15,453,058,000 after acquiring an additional 5,497,598 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after buying an additional 7,461,335 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,747,930,000 after acquiring an additional 5,851,715 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,168,080,000 after acquiring an additional 867,694 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,357,158,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were 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 owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on VZ shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays started coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings raised Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.66.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target to $56 and kept an “outperform” rating, citing upside versus recent levels — a clear catalyst for buying interest. Oppenheimer Raises Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank upgraded VZ to Outperform and lifted its target to $54.50 after meetings with management, calling shares “cheap” — another buy-side endorsement that can attract flows. Scotiabank Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~23.5% in February, reducing one source of near-term selling pressure and potentially supporting upside if momentum resumes. Short Interest & Analyst Context
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces and conference commentary highlight Verizon’s customer-driven strategy (comments at the Morgan Stanley TMT conference) and reinforced the company’s dividend/turnaround narrative — supportive for income-focused investors but not an immediate earnings surprise. Safe Starter Stock Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon presented at industry conferences (Deutsche Bank transcript available), which helps transparency and can drive analyst revisions if management provides new guidance. Deutsche Bank Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Third-party partnerships showed up in sector news (Kodiak AI expanded a tie with Verizon for autonomous trucking); likely small near-term revenue impact but signals enterprise demand for connectivity/edge services. Kodiak AI Partnership
• Negative Sentiment: Some pieces note the post-Q4 run-up and valuation focus (momentum cooling after a sharp rally), which increases the risk of consolidation — watch technicals and whether upgrades translate into sustained EPS/FCF re-rating. Valuation Note

About Representative Sessions

Pete Sessions (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas’ 17th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2021. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Sessions (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 17th Congressional District. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

On October 20, 2023, Sessions announced he was running to replace Kevin McCarthy (R) as speaker of the U.S. House in the 118th Congress. Sessions lost the first round of nomination voting on October 24, 2023.

Pete Sessions was born and lives in Waco, Texas. Sessions earned a B.S. from Southwestern University in 1978. Sessions’ career experience includes working as an executive with AT&T.

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.