AMG National Trust Bank Acquires 15,983 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

AMG National Trust Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 10.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 175,068 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 15,983 shares during the quarter. AMG National Trust Bank’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $7,694,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Convergence Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 23.1% in the third quarter. Convergence Financial LLC now owns 14,829 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $652,000 after buying an additional 2,782 shares during the last quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC now owns 59,171 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $2,601,000 after purchasing an additional 1,476 shares during the period. Excalibur Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.7% in the third quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 100,506 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,417,000 after buying an additional 741 shares during the period. Frisch Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.1% in the third quarter. Frisch Financial Group Inc. now owns 38,962 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,712,000 after buying an additional 418 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Financial Advisors Inc grew its position in Verizon Communications by 11.7% during the third quarter. Northern Financial Advisors Inc now owns 12,369 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $544,000 after buying an additional 1,299 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the topic of several analyst reports. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.25 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Evercore boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.02.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 1.2%

VZ opened at $49.24 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $42.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.14. The firm has a market cap of $207.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.33. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $50.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 68.15%.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa Capital upgraded Verizon, a bullish broker action that likely helped lift sentiment and buying interest in the stock. Daiwa Capital upgrades Verizon Communications (VZ)
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage shows a constructive tilt: an aggregate “Moderate Buy” consensus helps validate demand among institutional investors and supports the stock’s rebound. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend-focused coverage is highlighting Verizon as a reliable income name this year, which can attract retail and institutional dividend-seeking flows that support the share price. Retirees Are Winning Big in 2026: 3 Popular Dividend Stocks Are Soaring
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying fundamentals remain supportive: Verizon beat Q4 revenue and EPS expectations and set FY2026 EPS guidance near $4.90–4.95, which gives investors confidence in cash flow and dividend coverage. (Company Q4 earnings release)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces are debating whether the recent price rebound already reflects Verizon’s long‑term value — useful reading for investors weighing further entry points versus taking profits. Is Verizon (VZ) Pricing Reflect Long Term Value After Recent Share Price Rebound
• Negative Sentiment: Balance-sheet and liquidity metrics remain points of caution: debt-to-equity is elevated and current/quick ratios are below 1, which could constrain capital flexibility if macro or capex pressures rise.

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.