First Horizon Corp Grows Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

First Horizon Corp increased its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 18.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 527,633 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 81,394 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications comprises approximately 1.1% of First Horizon Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. First Horizon Corp’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $26,487,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 490.0% in the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the fourth quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Dbs Bank cut Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.28.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced a new U.S. connectivity role for BMW Group vehicles through its KDDI partnership, expanding its automotive IoT and connected-vehicle business and potentially adding high-margin enterprise revenue. Verizon named U.S. connectivity provider for newly manufactured BMW Group vehicles through KDDI partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs winning a mandate to manage $40 billion in Verizon retirement assets signals continued confidence in Verizon as a major corporate client and does not suggest any immediate operating weakness. Goldman Sachs wins $70 billion in asset management deals with Verizon, Lockheed Martin
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Verizon’s strong earnings-beat track record and said it has the ingredients for another earnings surprise, which could support the stock if upcoming results are solid. Will Verizon (VZ) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo and Barclays both maintained cautious “equal weight” views on Verizon, with Barclays trimming its price target, reflecting limited near-term upside even though targets remain above the current share price. Verizon Communications had its price target lowered by Barclays PLC
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports warned that SpaceX’s Starlink is intensifying competitive pressure on major U.S. telecom carriers, including Verizon, which could weigh on wireless and fixed wireless growth expectations. SpaceX’s Starlink Puts Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile Under the Microscope

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $42.19 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.00. The stock has a market cap of $176.16 billion, a PE ratio of 10.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued 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. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 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. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.02%.

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.