Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 79.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 952,731 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 422,342 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $40,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. RKL Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the first quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,338 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 2,765 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 32.7% during the 1st quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 888 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 18,421 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $925,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 35,023 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,426,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.2%

VZ stock opened at $49.25 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $45.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $47.27. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The company has a market cap of $204.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.25.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.22 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total transaction of $53,548.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 109,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,348,276.88. The trade was a 0.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced plans to redeem $1.25 billion of 5.329% notes due in 2028 on September 21, 2026. Retiring the debt could reduce future interest expense and improve the company’s debt profile, although the redemption will require cash. Verizon to redeem debt securities on September 21, 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s greater focus on fiber following its Frontier acquisition could support broadband subscriber growth, expand network scale and strengthen its competitive position over time. Verizon Leans Into Fiber After the Frontier Close
• Positive Sentiment: Income investors continue to find Verizon attractive because of its approximately 5.7% dividend yield and established dividend history. Recent quarterly earnings also exceeded EPS expectations by $0.03, while fiscal 2026 EPS guidance remains $4.99 to $5.04.
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares worth $53,548 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The sale reduced his position by less than 1% and is unlikely to materially affect the investment case.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinion remains balanced: Verizon has a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $50.84, close to its recent trading range.
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Verizon’s final appeal of a $47 million FCC fine related to customer location-data practices. The ruling ends Verizon’s effort to recover the penalty and highlights continuing privacy and regulatory-compliance risks. Verizon Loses Final Supreme Court Appeal Over $47 Million FCC Fine
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation commentary argues that VZ may be trading above estimated fair value, while its high leverage, low liquidity ratios and declining revenue remain concerns. Quarterly revenue fell 0.7% year over year and missed consensus estimates, limiting the upside case.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on VZ shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Barclays lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Freedom Capital upgraded Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.84.

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.