Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC Has $7.52 Million Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 189.4% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 149,736 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 97,989 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $7,517,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,759,000 after purchasing an additional 16,704 shares during the last quarter. United Bank grew its holdings 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 worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC increased 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 valued at $1,023,000 after buying an additional 17,901 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased 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 valued at $1,779,000 after buying an additional 6,034 shares during the period. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon was a major winner in the FCC’s first spectrum auction in four years, bidding about $3.2 billion for mid-band wireless licenses. The added spectrum could improve network capacity and long-term service quality, which is constructive for Verizon’s growth outlook. Reuters article on Verizon spectrum bids
• Positive Sentiment: Array Digital Infrastructure completed the sale of a portion of its spectrum license to Verizon for $1.0 billion, reinforcing Verizon’s willingness to invest in strategic wireless assets and expand its spectrum position. Yahoo Finance article on Array Digital Infrastructure sale to Verizon
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and fair-value revisions were mixed but slightly constructive, with one report saying Verizon’s estimated fair value edged higher after revisions. That suggests the market still sees value in the stock despite near-term uncertainties. Yahoo Finance article on Verizon fair value
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon confirmed it will report second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 24, keeping attention on subscriber trends, wireless pricing, and capital spending plans. GlobeNewswire earnings date announcement
• Negative Sentiment: SpaceX reportedly plans a Starlink mobile service for U.S. consumers and may eventually build its own mobile network, which could intensify competition for Verizon in wireless connectivity and pressure future growth expectations. FT report on SpaceX Starlink mobile service

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $46.43 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $46.93 and its 200 day moving average is $45.83. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The firm has a market cap of $193.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VZ. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Freedom Capital upgraded Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.59.

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.