ABN Amro Investment Solutions Lowers Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

ABN Amro Investment Solutions trimmed its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 15.4% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 476,313 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 86,638 shares during the period. ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $23,911,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the fourth 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 during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after acquiring an additional 7,461,335 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,747,930,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851,715 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,168,080,000 after purchasing an additional 867,694 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,357,158,000. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several recent pieces frame Verizon as a value stock, highlighting its relatively low valuation and dividend appeal for income-focused investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts cited FIFA-related network demand and stronger usage trends as potential near-term catalysts ahead of second-quarter earnings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is preparing for heavy network traffic around the first-ever World Cup halftime show, which reinforces its network scale but is not clearly a direct earnings driver yet. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC lowered its price target on Verizon to $46 from $48 and kept a “sector perform” rating, signaling cautious sentiment rather than a major change in the thesis.
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon plans to cut about 3,000 jobs and sell 274 stores to franchisees, underscoring ongoing restructuring and raising questions about growth and margins. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Another report said Verizon will sell 274 stores and cut 500 office jobs, adding to concerns that management is leaning on cost reductions rather than clear revenue acceleration. Article Title

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.6%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $43.76 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $45.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The stock has a market cap of $182.71 billion, a PE ratio of 10.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Scotiabank cut their target price on Verizon Communications from $54.50 to $51.50 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.03.

Verizon Communications 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.