Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Bought by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. grew its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 27.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 520,114 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 112,826 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $26,110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the 4th quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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 is being highlighted as a potentially attractive dividend stock, with Barron’s saying now may be a good time to buy income-oriented names like VZ as yields look more compelling. Why Verizon, Clorox and More Dividend Stocks Are Flashing a Buy Signal
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon won a new automotive connectivity contract through its KDDI partnership, becoming the U.S. connectivity provider for newly manufactured BMW Group vehicles, which could support growth in its enterprise and IoT business. Verizon named U.S. connectivity provider for newly manufactured BMW Group vehicles through KDDI partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts also flagged Verizon as a telecom name worth owning, noting its fiber and wireless expansion strategy and suggesting it may have a good setup for its next earnings report. T or VZ: Which Telecom Stock Deserves a Place in Your Portfolio?
• Positive Sentiment: Another recent report said Verizon has a strong earnings surprise history and could beat estimates again, which tends to support investor confidence ahead of results. Will Verizon (VZ) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs won asset-management mandates tied to Verizon’s retirement assets, but this is mainly a financial-services arrangement rather than an operational development for Verizon. Goldman Sachs wins $70 billion in asset management deals with Verizon, Lockheed Martin
• Neutral Sentiment: Some broader commentary on enterprise internet reliability and telecom competition, including Starlink-related pressure, may add noise to the sector outlook, but it is not a direct negative catalyst for Verizon itself. Verizon (NYSE:VZ) Dow Exit Deepens Starlink Market Pressure

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price objective on the stock. Freedom Capital upgraded Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.28.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE:VZ traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $42.14. The company had a trading volume of 27,697,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 33,171,120. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $46.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.97. The firm has a market cap of $175.95 billion, a PE ratio of 10.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. 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. Research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.