Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC Has $4.76 Million Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. by 6.5% in Q1, holding 104,913 shares valued at approximately $4.76 million.
• Verizon's recent earnings report showed $1.22 EPS, exceeding expectations, and the company also announced a dividend increase to $0.69, with a yield of 6.3%.
• Wall Street analysts have shown optimism for Verizon, upgrading ratings and raising price targets, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $47.65.

Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 6.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 104,913 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after acquiring an additional 6,442 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications accounts for approximately 2.3% of Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Bontempo Ohly Capital Mgmt LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $4,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. GQG Partners LLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 303.9% during the first quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 49,859,967 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $2,261,648,000 after purchasing an additional 37,516,167 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $661,720,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 737.5% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 11,697,003 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $530,576,000 after buying an additional 10,300,369 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 301.2% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 8,504,920 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $385,750,000 after acquiring an additional 6,385,197 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 20.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 31,626,373 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,434,572,000 after acquiring an additional 5,392,416 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $44.12 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a market cap of $186.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.28, a PEG ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.36. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $37.58 and a 12 month high of $47.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $43.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.38.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The cell phone carrier reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $34.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.47 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 13.28%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.15 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.636-4.728 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a $0.69 dividend. This is an increase from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is currently 63.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VZ. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Arete Research raised shares of Verizon Communications to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $47.65.

Verizon Communications Profile

Verizon Communications Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and governmental entities worldwide. It operates in two segments, Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business).

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