Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Purchased by Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 22.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,338,840 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 241,334 shares during the period. Verizon Communications accounts for 1.5% of Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $56,686,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Robinswood Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 173.0% in the 4th quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VZ. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Freedom Capital raised Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson cut their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.84.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $49.28 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $45.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $204.76 billion, a PE ratio of 12.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.25. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68.

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

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total value of $53,548.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 109,866 shares in the company, valued at $5,348,276.88. This represents a 0.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s fiber strategy is receiving attention following its Frontier acquisition. Greater fiber scale could support broadband growth, improve network economics and strengthen the company’s competitive position. Verizon Communications Leans Into Fiber After the Frontier Close
• Positive Sentiment: Income-focused coverage continues to highlight Verizon’s roughly 6% dividend yield and 20 consecutive years of dividend increases. Analysts note that the payout appears secure, although limited growth remains a consideration for investors. Verizon’s Dividend Looks Secure But Investors Should Keep an Eye on Growth
• Positive Sentiment: A post-earnings review presents Verizon as a potential buy-or-hold candidate for income investors. The company recently exceeded quarterly EPS expectations and maintains fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of approximately $4.99 to $5.04. Verizon Buy, Sell, or Hold Post Q2 Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The small transaction reduces his holdings by less than 1% and is unlikely to materially change the investment outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles criticizing Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF’s methodology and high-yield “dividend traps” concern other securities and do not directly alter Verizon’s fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Verizon’s final appeal of a $47 million FCC fine tied to customer location-data practices. The ruling ends the recovery effort and reinforces regulatory and privacy-compliance risks for the telecom operator. Supreme Court Rejects Verizon Bid to Recover $47M FCC Fine

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.