DNB Asset Management AS Boosts Stock Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

DNB Asset Management AS raised its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 5.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,255,341 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,281 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $55,172,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE:VZ opened at $48.90 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $43.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market cap of $206.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.07, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.33. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $50.47.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The company’s revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. 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. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, January 26th. William Blair raised shares of Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.02.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon closed its Frontier asset acquisition and rolled out a transformation plan targeting several billion dollars in annual cost savings while integrating industry‑wide APIs via Aduna—moves that should expand fiber scale and improve margins. Verizon Reshapes Fiber, Costs And Enterprise Services With Frontier And Aduna
• Positive Sentiment: Aduna reached a milestone securing CAMARA‑compliant U.S. network API coverage with backing from AT&T, T‑Mobile and Verizon, strengthening Verizon’s ability to sell standardized network intelligence to large enterprises. Aduna Reaches Milestone as a Leading Provider of U.S. Network APIs
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and outlets continue to highlight Verizon as a value/momentum/dividend name given recent performance, steady cash flow and yield — supporting investor interest from income and value buyers. Here’s Why Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Strong Value Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Industry reports highlight a growing 5G smart‑stadium and venue market where Verizon is listed among key players — reinforcing long‑term demand for Verizon’s 5G and edge services. Fifth Generation (5G)-Powered Smart Stadiums Analysis Report 2026-2035
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Dan Schulman will speak at the Morgan Stanley TMT conference on March 2; the webcast could prompt volatility or new guidance commentary but is not expected to change fundamentals by itself. Verizon to speak at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on March 2
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes show modest analyst target‑price tweaks (around $49–$50), reflecting slight recalibration rather than a consensus re‑rating. How The Verizon Communications (VZ) Investment Narrative Is Shifting As Analysts Rework Price Targets
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped ~34.8% in mid‑February to ~148.3M shares (~3.5% of float), increasing potential selling pressure and amplifying downside risk if momentum or headlines flip negative. (Short‑interest data reported 2/25/2026)

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.