Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Sells 91,151 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lessened its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 43.1% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 120,346 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 91,151 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $6,041,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 16,704 shares during the period. United Bank increased its stake 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 valued at $339,000 after acquiring an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 312.0% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after acquiring an additional 17,901 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,779,000 after acquiring an additional 6,034 shares during the period. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 2.2%

VZ stock opened at $45.70 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $46.89 and its 200-day moving average is $45.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $190.82 billion, a PE ratio of 11.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during 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%.Verizon Communications’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 69.02%.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet will join the Dow Jones Industrial Average, replacing Verizon, which may weigh on sentiment as Verizon loses a prestigious index position. Alphabet added to Dow Jones Industrial Average, replacing Verizon
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon is leaving the Dow partly because its low share price gave it an “immaterial impact” on the index, highlighting its limited influence in the benchmark. Could Nike Get the Boot from the Dow? Why Berkshire Hathaway Might Take Its Place.
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon launched new wireless plans focused on affordability and simplicity to stem subscriber losses, which could help stabilize the business but also underscores competitive pressure. Verizon (VZ) Launches Simplicity And Verizon One Plans To Win Back Subscribers
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the stock’s weakness, some investors continue to view Verizon as a defensive dividend name with an attractive yield. Why Johnson & Johnson, Altria, Verizon, and Other Safe Dividend Stocks Climbed Today

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

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.