L & S Advisors Inc Buys New Shares in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

L & S Advisors Inc bought a new stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 16,198 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $660,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the period. Triton Wealth Management PLLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 9,257 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the period. Monetary Management Group Inc. lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 0.8% in the second quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 30,400 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Hughes Financial Services LLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the third quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 5,035 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 26.2% in the third quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FCC approved Verizon’s $1 billion purchase of spectrum assets from U.S. Cellular, a move that should expand Verizon’s network capacity and coverage and strengthen its competitive position. FCC approves Verizon’s $1 billion spectrum purchase
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon joined AT&T and T-Mobile in a proposed satellite-based joint venture aimed at closing rural wireless dead zones, which could improve service quality, coverage reliability, and the industry’s long-term growth narrative. Verizon Joins Rivals On Satellite Venture Reshaping Coverage And Investor Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon closed a $4 billion junior subordinated notes offering, which was framed as strengthening its capital structure and supporting refinancing/funding flexibility. Verizon Strengthens Capital Structure with $4 Billion Notes
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish piece highlighted Verizon as one of 2026’s top defensive picks, citing undervaluation, a well-covered dividend, and potential upside over the next year. Why Verizon Is One of Our Top Defensive Picks In 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on Verizon’s competitive position versus T-Mobile, customer retention, and a customer-facing website blocking issue; these are more mixed in nature and do not clearly change the near-term investment case. T-Mobile vs. Verizon: Is It Time to Choose a New Carrier?
• Negative Sentiment: A report on new layoffs suggests Verizon is still pushing hard on cost cuts and restructuring, which may help margins but can also signal pressure on operations and demand. Verizon Announces New Layoffs as Cost-Cutting Continues Into 2026
• Negative Sentiment: One article warned that Verizon’s latest phone plan changes could push away customers, reinforcing concerns about churn in a highly competitive wireless market. Verizon’s latest phone plan change may drive away consumers

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of VZ opened at $46.44 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $193.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $48.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $44.52.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VZ has been the subject of several research reports. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Citigroup raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

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.