Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Has $1.88 Million Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Catalyst Capital Advisors increased its Verizon stake by 657.3% in the fourth quarter, ending with 46,069 shares valued at about $1.88 million.
• Verizon reported better-than-expected earnings of $1.28 per share for the latest quarter, though revenue of $34.44 billion slightly missed analyst estimates.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but constructive, with Verizon carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $50.59.

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 657.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 46,069 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 39,986 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,876,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 17,579 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $716,000 after buying an additional 534 shares during the period. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 96.9% during the 4th quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 904 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 445 shares during the period. Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 9.6% during the 4th quarter. Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. now owns 267,374 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $10,890,000 after buying an additional 23,432 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,357,158,000. Finally, Hilltop Partners LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 32.6% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop Partners LLC now owns 6,544 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $267,000 after buying an additional 1,609 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.3%

VZ stock opened at $47.84 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $47.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.07. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The stock has a market cap of $199.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Evercore increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.59.

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.

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