<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in shares of  Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 64.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,394,921 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after acquiring an additional 547,384 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $55,783,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Verizon Communications</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><ul><li>T-Mobile: The Best Wireless Carrier Stock to Own Right Now?</li></ul><p>A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its stake in shares of  Verizon Communications by 58.0% during the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 1,756,452 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $78,975,000 after buying an additional 644,761 shares during the last quarter.  Alpha Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of  Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter valued at about $224,000.  Swedbank AB raised its stake in shares of  Verizon Communications by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 5,174,541 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $232,389,000 after buying an additional 39,403 shares during the last quarter.  Horst &amp; Graben Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of  Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter valued at about $318,000.  Finally, Waterway Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of  Verizon Communications by 34.9% in the 3rd quarter. Waterway Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,819 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $666,000 after purchasing an additional 3,834 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own  62.06% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Analyst Ratings Changes</h2><p>A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VZ shares. Argus raised Verizon Communications to a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a &#34;neutral&#34; rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. TD Cowen raised Verizon Communications to a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, DZ Bank raised Verizon Communications from a &#34;hold&#34; rating to a &#34;buy&#34; rating and set a $40.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned  a buy rating and two have issued  a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company  has a consensus rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and a consensus price target of $46.08.</p><ul><li>Verizon’s Turnaround Gains Traction: New Highs Are Likely in 2025</li></ul><p><b>View Our Latest Analysis on VZ</b></p><h2>Insider Buying and Selling</h2><p>In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 11,085 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.88, for a total value of $453,154.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $596,439.20. This represents a 43.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last three months, insiders sold 39,085 shares of company stock worth $1,582,995. Company insiders own  0.03% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Verizon Communications Price Performance</h2><ul><li>Telecom Titans: Comparing Verizon and AT&amp;T for Growth Potential</li></ul><p>VZ stock opened at $41.21 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $173.49 billion, a PE ratio of 9.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.45. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.58 and a 1 year high of $45.36. </p><p>Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.01). Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.99% and a return on equity of 19.80%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share.  Equities research analysts anticipate that  Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Verizon Communications Cuts Dividend</h2><p>The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th were given a $0.6775 dividend. The ex-dividend date  was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $2.71 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.58%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.46%. </p><h2>About Verizon Communications</h2> (Free Report)<p>Verizon Communications Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and governmental entities worldwide. It operates in two segments, Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business).</p><h2>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Verizon Communications</li><li>3 Tickers Leading a Meme Stock Revival</li><li>Affirm Hits Profitability—Here’s What Investors Should Watch</li><li>Consumer Discretionary Stocks Explained</li><li>There's Room to Chase These 3 Stocks Trading Near 52-Week Highs</li><li>Using the MarketBeat Dividend Yield Calculator</li><li>3 Stocks With Robust Growth Outlooks Insiders Are Buying</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VZ?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVZa?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVZa"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Where Should You Invest $1,000 Right Now?</h2><p>Before you make your next trade, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis.</p><p>Our team has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and none of the big name stocks were on the list.</p><p>They believe these five stocks are the five best companies for investors to buy now...</p><p>See The Five Stocks Here </p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Verizon Communications Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Verizon Communications, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Verizon Communications wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Verizon Communications currently has a &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 64.6% in Q4, owning 1,394,921 shares valued at $55.78 million. Other institutional investors also adjusted their holdings. Analysts have given Verizon a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a price target of $46.08. CEO Kyle Malady sold 11,085 shares recently, reducing his ownership by 43.17%. Verizon's stock opened at $41.21, with a market cap of $173.49 billion and a PE ratio of 9.95. The company reported Q4 EPS of $1.10, slightly below estimates.</p>

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Shares Bought by Private Advisor Group LLC