Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 1,972,634 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 6.4% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 32,734,998 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,972,634 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications accounts for 0.3% of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,643,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 539 shares during the period. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 173.0% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is moving to sell 274 company-owned retail stores to franchisees and cut roughly 3,000 jobs, a restructuring that could lower operating costs and improve margins over time. Reuters: Verizon to shed 274 stores, lay off another 500 corporate employees
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction has been favorable to the cost-reset story, with articles noting VZ rose as investors responded to the store shakeup and expense reduction plans. Yahoo Finance: VZ Stock Rises — Verizon Moves To Slash Costs With Major Store Shakeup
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its FY2026 earnings estimate for Verizon and kept a Hold rating, suggesting only modest near-term earnings improvement. MarketBeat analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is expected to report earnings on Friday, which keeps investors focused on whether the restructuring and broadband growth can offset slower revenue trends. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (VZ) to Post Earnings on Friday
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts are cautioning that Verizon already trades at a premium relative to peers, which could limit upside if earnings growth disappoints. Trefis: VZ Earns Its Premium Over Peers. Now What?
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank also lowered its price target to $51.50, reflecting some skepticism about the pace of Verizon’s improvement. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Lowered to $51.50 at Scotiabank

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Barclays lowered their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.09.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of VZ opened at $43.57 on Monday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $181.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.63, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $45.67 and a 200-day moving average of $46.11.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.Verizon Communications’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.02%.

About Verizon Communications

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.