Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $376.27 Million Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,561,360 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 374,491 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.20% of Verizon Communications worth $376,272,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hudock Inc. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Hudock Inc. now owns 39,842 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,724,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.9% in the third quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 8,571 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.3% during the third quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 71,541 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,144,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Camden National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.6% during the second quarter. Camden National Bank now owns 5,666 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the period. Finally, FRG Family Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 1.8% during the second quarter. FRG Family Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,517 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $628,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Aduna — Verizon is a named equity backer of Aduna, which now claims CAMARA-compliant network-API coverage across the U.S.; this strengthens Verizon’s ability to monetize network intelligence and partner in API-based data services. Aduna Reaches Milestone as a Leading Provider of U.S. Network APIs
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley conference — CEO Dan Schulman will speak at the Morgan Stanley TMT conference on March 2 (webcast available), which gives management a forum to reinforce execution, guidance and 5G / monetization narrative to investors. Verizon to speak at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 2
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend / income appeal — multiple outlet lists continue to show Verizon as a high-yield, lower-volatility choice for income investors, supporting demand from yield-focused holders. 5 Very Safe High-Yield Dividend Stocks Boomers Can Hold Forever
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/coverage tone mixed — recent pieces recalibrating fair value targets and calling Verizon a momentum/value pick keep expectations balanced; some firms nudge targets up while others trim. How The Verizon Communications (VZ) Investment Narrative Is Shifting As Analysts Rework Price Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector commentary and presentations — recent Barclays presentation transcript and sector write-ups highlight Verizon’s 5G positioning vs. peers but contain no new concrete catalysts. Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) Presents at Barclays Communications and Content Symposium 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Related industry news — AST SpaceMobile’s government contract and other satellite/wholesale plays may affect partnership opportunities indirectly but are not direct Verizon fundamentals. AST SpaceMobile Jumps 9% After Government Contract Announcement (VZ)
• Negative Sentiment: Rising short interest — short interest jumped ~34.8% in February to ~148.3M shares (~3.5% of float), signaling increased bearish bets that can amplify downside on weak headlines or technical flows. (Source: short-interest report)
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/regulatory risk — an amici brief urging the Supreme Court to require jury trials for FCC enforcement (involving AT&T and Verizon cases) could increase litigation uncertainty and potential costs if penalties must be tried before juries. NCLA Asks Supreme Court to Safeguard Jury Trial Rights in FCC Penalty Enforcement Cases

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 1.2%

VZ stock opened at $49.26 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $207.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a 50-day moving average of $42.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.28. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $50.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The business had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VZ has been the subject of a number of research reports. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.25 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Verizon Communications from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.02.

Verizon Communications Company 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.