63,246 Shares in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Purchased by First National Bank of Omaha

First National Bank of Omaha bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 63,246 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $2,780,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 16,704 shares during the last quarter. United Bank grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 11.5% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.9% in the second quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 14,368 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $622,000 after purchasing an additional 795 shares during the last quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 12.1% in the second quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 29,343 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,269,000 after buying an additional 3,170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Klingman & Associates LLC boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 78.9% during the second quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 8,809 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $381,000 after buying an additional 3,886 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the company’s 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 directly owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $48.01 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $42.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.05. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $50.24. 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 company has a market cap of $202.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.85, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.33.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion during 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, 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. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. William Blair upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Finally, Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.02.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Consumer business momentum: Postpaid phone subscriber strength remains a primary growth driver for Verizon’s consumer segment, supporting near-term revenue and EPS outlooks and helping underpin the dividend. Verizon Rides on Strength in Consumer Segment: Will it Sustain?
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend appeal: Recent dividend increases have kept income-focused investors interested in VZ versus other blue-chips, providing support to the share price despite cyclical headwinds. Verizon vs Johnson & Johnson: Which Dividend Hike Winner Is the Better Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Short-term momentum and investor attention: Several market write-ups note growing investor interest and momentum in VZ, which could attract flows while fundamentals remain stable. Verizon Momentum Builds
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor event scheduled: Verizon will present at the Barclays Communications & Content Symposium on Feb. 24 — a chance to hear management on strategy and guidance but not an immediate catalyst until new detail is provided. Verizon to speak at Barclays Communications and Content Symposium on February 24
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased investor interest noted by coverage sites — useful for liquidity and attention but not decisively bullish or bearish on fundamentals. Verizon is Attracting Investor Attention
• Negative Sentiment: Leadership change in Consumer: Reports that the consumer CEO has exited and an interim arrangement is in place raise execution questions around Verizon’s transformation and could unsettle investors who worry about continuity. Did Verizon’s Consumer CEO Exit and Interim Shift Just Reframe Its Transformation Story
• Negative Sentiment: Capital-return ambiguity: Analysis flags uncertainty around Verizon’s $55B buyback/dividend plan, noting trade-offs between flexibility and risk that could limit future buybacks or force reassessment if cash priorities change. Uncertainty Clouds Verizon’s $55 Billion Capital Return Plan
• Negative Sentiment: Relative underperformance: MarketWatch notes Verizon underperformed peers on Wednesday, which can pressure the stock as investors rotate toward better-performing telecom/content names. Verizon underperforms competitors

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.