NWF Advisory Services Inc. Trims Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

NWF Advisory Services Inc. decreased its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 41.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 17,769 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 12,415 shares during the quarter. NWF Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $724,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VZ. Avanza Fonder AB increased its position in 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 lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 14,862 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 41.0% during 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 buying an additional 639,380 shares in the last quarter. Clarity Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 697.0% during the 4th quarter. Clarity Financial LLC now owns 471,127 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $19,189,000 after buying an additional 412,018 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 2,382,975 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $97,059,000 after acquiring an additional 316,854 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.1%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $45.44 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $46.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market cap of $189.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.08, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. Verizon Communications’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior 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, equities analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VZ has been the subject of several analyst reports. Scotiabank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.