PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators Purchases New Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 616,206 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $25,098,000. Verizon Communications comprises about 0.9% of PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Avanza Fonder AB grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $13,521,000 after purchasing an additional 17,495 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 14.0% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $16,665,000 after purchasing an additional 46,699 shares during the period. Econ Financial Services Corp grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,184,000 after purchasing an additional 14,862 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 18.4% in the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $6,196,000 after acquiring an additional 21,915 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.8% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,667,402 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $161,182,000 after acquiring an additional 99,400 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VZ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Barclays increased their target price on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, reinforcing its reputation as a high-yield income stock and signaling stable cash returns to shareholders. Verizon declares quarterly dividend on June 4, 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary noted Verizon has outperformed over the past several months on the back of subscriber gains, broadband growth, and AI-related initiatives, which may support the stock’s longer-term narrative. VZ Shares Rise 8.6% in Six Months: What’s the Next Move for Investors?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several market pieces focused on Verizon’s valuation and dividend appeal, with some arguing the stock is still compelling for income investors while others question whether the upside is limited. Forget Wall Street’s Ultimate Telecom Value Trap and Buy the Real Free Cash Flow King
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s debt tender and exchange offers, along with broader capital-priority discussion, suggest management is actively managing leverage and liquidity, but the move is not an immediate fundamental catalyst. Do Verizon (VZ) Debt Tenders and Dividend Steadiness Hint at a Shifting Capital Priorities Playbook?
• Negative Sentiment: The Supreme Court’s decision in the FCC dispute increases Verizon’s regulatory risk and could lead to continued fines or enforcement actions, weighing on investor sentiment. US Supreme Court backs FCC in clash with wireless carriers over fines
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure from Starlink and concerns about Verizon’s store/customer backlash have widened skepticism about the company’s growth outlook and valuation. Verizon Confronts Store Backlash And Starlink Threat As Valuation Gap Widens

Verizon Communications Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of VZ opened at $45.39 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $47.55 and its 200 day moving average is $45.27. The company has a market capitalization of $189.53 billion, a PE ratio of 11.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.02%.

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.