71 West Capital Partners Invests $482,000 in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

71 West Capital Partners purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 11,844 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $482,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Avanza Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $13,521,000 after buying an additional 17,495 shares in the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $3,184,000 after acquiring an additional 14,862 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 2,197,366 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $89,499,000 after acquiring an additional 639,380 shares during the last quarter. Clarity Financial LLC lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 697.0% in the 4th quarter. Clarity Financial LLC now owns 471,127 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $19,189,000 after purchasing an additional 412,018 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 2,382,975 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $97,059,000 after purchasing an additional 316,854 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon unveiled simpler wireless plans, a new loyalty program, and the removal of some activation and upgrade fees, which could help reduce customer churn and improve competitiveness against AT&T and T-Mobile. Verizon targets wireless customers with new simpler plans, drops some fees
• Positive Sentiment: The company also launched an industry-first loyalty program offering 3% back on bills plus brand perks, signaling a more customer-friendly push under new CEO Dan Schulman. Verizon Breaks Industry Mold to Put Customers First
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon continues to highlight network strength and resilience, including preparations for a potential tropical storm in the Gulf Coast, reinforcing its reputation for reliable service during emergencies. Verizon’s Ready to keep you Connected as a Potential Tropical Storm Forms in the Gulf; Offers Tips to Prepare
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s private 5G and security initiatives, including the Anthropic-linked Project Glasswing and expanded enterprise connectivity partnerships, support longer-term growth opportunities. Ericsson Private 5G now available for Verizon Business private networks internationally
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive but cautious, with Freedom Broker initiating coverage at Hold and a $53 target, suggesting execution will be important for the stock’s next move. Freedom Broker Sees Verizon (VZ) as an Execution-Dependent Telecom Story
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may be wary that the new fee cuts and perks could pressure margins in an already highly competitive wireless market if subscriber gains do not offset the added incentives. Verizon Drops $40 Fees as Wireless Freebies Race Heats Up

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of VZ opened at $46.82 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $47.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.59. 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 firm has a market cap of $195.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

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.