Berman McAleer LLC Takes $547,000 Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Berman McAleer LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 12,436 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $547,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% during the fourth 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. Cooper Financial Group boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 68.0% in the second quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 9,301 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 3,765 shares during the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 50.9% in the 2nd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 24,610 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,065,000 after purchasing an additional 8,299 shares during the period. Naples Global Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 10,106 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vicus Capital raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vicus Capital now owns 12,676 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $548,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on EPS and revenue — Verizon reported $1.09 EPS vs. consensus $1.06 and revenue of $36.38B, topping estimates and showing 2% year-over-year revenue growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance — management set guidance of $4.90–$4.95, above consensus, improving forward earnings visibility and supporting valuation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Strong subscriber momentum — Verizon logged its highest quarterly wireless net adds in years (notably large postpaid phone adds), a primary driver of the upside in revenue and service growth metrics. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Capital return program — management outlined a large buyback program (cited in call writeups), which supports EPS and signals confidence in cash flow. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity — heavy call buying was reported intraday, consistent with speculative/hedged bullish positioning by some investors. (Options volume report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational resilience highlighted — company actions to harden networks for winter storms were noted; supports customer experience but is a longer-term benefit. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive media/analyst writeups emphasize value after the beat, framing VZ as an income + growth story for yield-seeking investors. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and cost risks called out — deeper analysis warns that aggressive subscriber promotions, the Frontier deal and integration/unit economics could pressure margins and near-term earnings visibility. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target cut — Wells Fargo trimmed its target in a sector reassessment, a reminder that some shops remain cautious on wireless pricing and capital intensity. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Dividend-safety concerns re-surfacing — articles questioning sustainability of the ~7% yield could weigh on long-term income-focused demand if cash flow dynamics shift. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Minor institutional selling — a small manager reduced its position, noted in filings; not a major red flag but adds to mixed signals. Read More.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $44.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday. Barclays initiated coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $47.43.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $44.52 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $187.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.51, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.34. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $47.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $40.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.57.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.31% and a net margin of 14.43%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, January 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.69 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 58.97%.

About Verizon Communications

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.