Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Acquires 176,816 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its Verizon stake by 14.6% in Q1, buying 176,816 shares and bringing its total holding to 1.39 million shares worth about $69.8 million.
• Other institutions also added to Verizon positions, and institutional investors now own 62.06% of the company, underscoring continued interest from large money managers.
• Verizon is facing a mixed analyst backdrop: several firms cut price targets recently, but the stock still has a consensus Hold rating and offers a 6.5% dividend yield after posting better-than-expected quarterly EPS.

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 14.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,389,489 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 176,816 shares during the period. Verizon Communications accounts for 1.5% of Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $69,752,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Florida Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 34.4% in the first quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,976 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 2,041 shares during the period. Beta Wealth Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.7% in the first quarter. Beta Wealth Group Inc. now owns 7,564 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the period. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 4.5% in the first quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,248 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $565,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares during the last quarter. Grant Street Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the first quarter valued at approximately $245,000. Finally, Basepoint Wealth LLC increased its position in Verizon Communications by 16.4% during the 1st quarter. Basepoint Wealth LLC now owns 35,047 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,759,000 after purchasing an additional 4,937 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several articles continue to frame Verizon as a long-term value name, highlighting its relatively low valuation and income appeal for investors looking for defensive cash flow. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage commentary also points to bullish expectations for Verizon’s FY2026 earnings, reinforcing the idea that the company may be able to maintain stable profitability. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is being mentioned in broader “stocks to watch” coverage ahead of a busy earnings week, but this is more of a market context story than a company-specific catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Verizon preparing its network for record-setting traffic during the first-ever World Cup halftime show underscores operational readiness, but it is unlikely to materially move the stock on its own. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada cut its price target on Verizon from $48 to $46 while keeping a “sector perform” rating, a sign that analysts see limited upside near term and that may be weighing on shares. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern also remains centered on whether Verizon can fully protect its dividend, suggesting the market is still sensitive to debt and payout sustainability risks. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on VZ. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.50 to $51.50 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Dbs Bank cut shares of Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $49.97.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of VZ stock opened at $43.51 on Tuesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. 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 50 day simple moving average of $45.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.13. The company has a market cap of $181.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.61, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.19 EPS. 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 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.5%. 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.

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