Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ is Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s 9th Largest Position

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 658,473 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 43,337 shares during the period. Verizon Communications makes up 1.3% of Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $26,820,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $15,453,058,000 after buying an additional 5,497,598 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,470,788,000 after buying an additional 7,276,809 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 45,265,695 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,989,427,000 after buying an additional 557,576 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,188,066 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,238,866,000 after buying an additional 1,203,445 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 22,592,460 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $992,939,000 after buying an additional 646,537 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VZ shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, January 26th. One research 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ stock opened at $48.26 on Friday. 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. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $48.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.75. The stock has a market cap of $201.52 billion, a PE ratio of 11.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.19 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced preliminary shareholder voting results from its 2026 annual meeting, with shareholders electing all nine board nominees and approving management proposals, signaling solid governance support and no signs of major shareholder unrest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company said California SBDC named Verizon its Corporate Small Business Champion of the Year, highlighting Verizon’s small-business support and community profile, which can reinforce the brand and customer loyalty narrative. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive, with commentary pointing to Verizon’s strong dividend outlook, improving earnings momentum, and the ability to manage debt after the Frontier acquisition while still supporting buybacks. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon also rolled out customer-facing promotions, including a large FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket giveaway and the launch of the motorola razr 2026 on its lineup, both of which support subscriber engagement and marketing momentum. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed Verizon as a top-ranked momentum or value-focused telecom stock versus peers, which may help sentiment but does not represent a new company-specific catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry pieces on private 5G, satellite telecom, and the SpaceX IPO filing may support the long-term wireless narrative, but they are broader sector stories rather than direct Verizon-specific news. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon’s ongoing debt management remains a watch point after the Frontier deal, and the planned redemption of debt securities underscores that leverage is still part of the story even as the company works to pay it down. Article Title

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.