Rathbones Group PLC Sells 15,262 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Rathbones Group PLC reduced its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 500,059 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 15,262 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $20,367,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VZ. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 16,704 shares during the period. United Bank grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 11.5% in the second quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 806 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 312.0% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,023,000 after acquiring an additional 17,901 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 17.2% in the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,779,000 after acquiring an additional 6,034 shares during the period. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.2% in the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $389,000 after acquiring an additional 443 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $48.26 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $48.21 and a 200 day moving average of $44.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $201.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,189,100. The trade was 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 through the SEC website. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VZ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced preliminary shareholder voting results from its 2026 annual meeting, with shareholders electing all nine board nominees and approving management proposals, signaling solid governance support and no signs of major shareholder unrest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company said California SBDC named Verizon its Corporate Small Business Champion of the Year, highlighting Verizon’s small-business support and community profile, which can reinforce the brand and customer loyalty narrative. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive, with commentary pointing to Verizon’s strong dividend outlook, improving earnings momentum, and the ability to manage debt after the Frontier acquisition while still supporting buybacks. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon also rolled out customer-facing promotions, including a large FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket giveaway and the launch of the motorola razr 2026 on its lineup, both of which support subscriber engagement and marketing momentum. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed Verizon as a top-ranked momentum or value-focused telecom stock versus peers, which may help sentiment but does not represent a new company-specific catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry pieces on private 5G, satellite telecom, and the SpaceX IPO filing may support the long-term wireless narrative, but they are broader sector stories rather than direct Verizon-specific news. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon’s ongoing debt management remains a watch point after the Frontier deal, and the planned redemption of debt securities underscores that leverage is still part of the story even as the company works to pay it down. Article Title

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.