State of Michigan Retirement System Has $55.71 Million Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

State of Michigan Retirement System reduced its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 28.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,267,550 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 506,000 shares during the quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $55,709,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Verizon Communications by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 372,787,016 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $16,130,494,000 after purchasing an additional 4,615,075 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 208,213,255 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,009,388,000 after buying an additional 4,205,449 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 100,326,792 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,322,700,000 after acquiring an additional 1,101,504 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the second quarter valued at $2,504,150,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 21.5% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $915,552,000 after buying an additional 3,743,892 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ stock opened at $46.32 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $40.87 and a 200-day moving average of $41.75. The firm has a market cap of $195.30 billion, a PE ratio of 11.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.33. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $47.58. 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 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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, sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VZ has been the subject of several analyst reports. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday. William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday. KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.02.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst upgrades and bullish notes lifted momentum and helped extend the rally, with coverage citing higher target prices and “buy”/outperform views that attracted short‑term buyers. Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price Up 1.6% After Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Income investors are re‑rating Verizon because it appears on multiple recent lists of high‑yield dividend picks, supporting steady demand from dividend/seeking portfolios. 3 High-Yield Dividend Stocks Perfect For Retirees
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlighted VZ as a top‑ranked momentum stock under its style scores — this can draw quant/momentum flows but doesn’t guarantee fundamental change. Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Top-Ranked Momentum Stock: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of AST SpaceMobile and its 2026 launch targets (a partner/adjacent play for telecoms) is being watched for potential upside exposure, but execution risks keep this as an uncertain catalyst. Can SpaceX Rival AST SpaceMobile Meet Its 2026 Launch Targets? (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon’s consumer‑unit CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath is stepping down amid a companywide turnaround under new CEO Dan Schulman — management turnover raises near‑term execution and strategy questions for the core wireless business. Verizon’s Consumer Unit CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath to Step Down
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon filed suit accusing T‑Mobile of false advertising — the legal fight could be a distraction and pose litigation costs, though it may also be intended to blunt competitive messaging. Verizon Wireless sues T-Mobile, alleges false advertising

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.