Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Acquires 16,617 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 867,852 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,617 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $35,348,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 61.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,759,000 after purchasing an additional 16,704 shares during the last quarter. United Bank lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 312.0% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 17,901 shares during the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 17.2% during the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,779,000 after buying an additional 6,034 shares during the period. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.2% during the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 443 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Expanded 5G Frontline network slice broadens mission‑critical addressable market (first responders, more devices), reinforcing Verizon’s push into higher‑value public‑sector and enterprise use cases. Verizon Extends 5G Frontline Access As Valuation Gap Draws Attention
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive — “Moderate Buy” consensus from brokerages supports upside expectations from the street. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst takeaways from Verizon’s Q1 call highlighted improved postpaid phone adds, lower acquisition/retention costs and management’s shift toward durable recurring revenue — factors that underpinned the recent positive market reaction to results. 5 Revealing Analyst Questions From Verizon’s Q1 Earnings Call
• Positive Sentiment: Value investors are being reminded of Verizon’s attractively low multiple and steady dividend (high yield vs. peers), which supports long‑term buy arguments amid modest growth. Why Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Top Value Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating — a neutral stance that suggests limited near‑term catalyst from this particular analyst action. Finviz
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces comparing Verizon’s dividend to peers (e.g., Nike) highlight Verizon’s strong adjusted earnings growth and yield — useful for income investors but not an immediate stock catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling (roughly US$12m sold over the past year) can signal management/insider hesitancy and weighs on sentiment for some investors. Verizon Communications Insiders Sold US$12m Of Shares Suggesting Hesitancy
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation debate persists: some analysts view VZ as cheap on multiples but raise structural concerns (mix shift, secular wireless trends), which can cap multiple expansion. Verizon Stock: Cheap Multiple, Complicated Story

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $47.34 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market cap of $197.68 billion, a PE ratio of 11.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.24. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.10. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.