Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Bought by Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.

Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 43.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 82,486 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,150 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $3,625,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VZ. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,504,150,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 372,787,016 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,130,494,000 after acquiring an additional 4,615,075 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 2.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 208,213,255 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,009,388,000 after acquiring an additional 4,205,449 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in Verizon Communications by 21.5% during the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $915,552,000 after acquiring an additional 3,743,892 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 4,274.6% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,917,508 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $82,971,000 after acquiring an additional 1,873,675 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $49.24 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $207.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.33. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $50.24. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $42.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.14. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications’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, sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change 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%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on VZ shares. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Evercore raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.02.

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.