Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Sells 91,151 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise cut its Verizon stake by 43.1% in the first quarter, selling 91,151 shares and leaving it with 120,346 shares valued at about $6.04 million.
• Verizon reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.28 per share, though revenue of $34.44 billion came in slightly below analyst estimates. The company also raised its FY 2026 EPS guidance to 4.950-4.990.
• Verizon declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 6.2%, reinforcing its appeal as a defensive income stock.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lowered its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 43.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 120,346 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 91,151 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $6,041,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Avanza Fonder AB raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $13,521,000 after acquiring an additional 17,495 shares in the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 23.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 14,862 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 639,380 shares in the last quarter. Clarity Financial LLC grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 412,018 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 316,854 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VZ has been the subject of several research reports. Scotiabank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $45.70 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.80. The firm has a market cap of $190.82 billion, a PE ratio of 11.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68. 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 (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is 69.02%.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Negative Sentiment: Alphabet will join the Dow Jones Industrial Average, replacing Verizon, which may weigh on sentiment as Verizon loses a prestigious index position. Alphabet added to Dow Jones Industrial Average, replacing Verizon
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon is leaving the Dow partly because its low share price gave it an “immaterial impact” on the index, highlighting its limited influence in the benchmark. Could Nike Get the Boot from the Dow? Why Berkshire Hathaway Might Take Its Place.
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon launched new wireless plans focused on affordability and simplicity to stem subscriber losses, which could help stabilize the business but also underscores competitive pressure. Verizon (VZ) Launches Simplicity And Verizon One Plans To Win Back Subscribers
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the stock’s weakness, some investors continue to view Verizon as a defensive dividend name with an attractive yield. Why Johnson & Johnson, Altria, Verizon, and Other Safe Dividend Stocks Climbed Today

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.

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