Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Position Increased by Applied Finance Capital Management LLC

Applied Finance Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 633,368 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 21,785 shares during the period. Verizon Communications makes up about 2.0% of Applied Finance Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $27,834,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hudock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.6% in the second quarter. Hudock Inc. now owns 39,842 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,724,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the period. McLean Asset Management Corp lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 8,571 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 71,541 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,144,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Camden National Bank grew its position in Verizon Communications by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Camden National Bank now owns 5,666 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FRG Family Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. FRG Family Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 14,517 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $628,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on VZ. Citigroup raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays initiated coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight 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 target price of $49.02.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 1.5%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.01 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $198.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.33. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $47.58. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 68.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.