Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. cut its Verizon stake by 23.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 137,144 shares and leaving it with 446,348 shares valued at about $18.18 million.
• Verizon is pushing a more customer-friendly strategy, introducing simpler wireless plans, a new loyalty program, and eliminating some activation and upgrade fees to help attract and retain subscribers.
• The company reported better-than-expected EPS of $1.28 in its latest quarter and continues to pay a sizable dividend, with the next payout set at $0.7075 per share and an annualized yield of about 6.0%.

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 23.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 446,348 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 137,144 shares during the period. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $18,180,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avanza Fonder AB grew its position in Verizon Communications by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $13,521,000 after acquiring an additional 17,495 shares in the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 14,862 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 639,380 shares in the last quarter. Clarity Financial LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 697.0% in the 4th quarter. Clarity Financial LLC now owns 471,127 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $19,189,000 after acquiring an additional 412,018 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. grew its position in Verizon Communications by 15.3% in 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 acquiring an additional 316,854 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon unveiled simpler wireless plans, a new loyalty program, and the removal of some activation and upgrade fees, which could help reduce customer churn and improve competitiveness against AT&T and T-Mobile. Verizon targets wireless customers with new simpler plans, drops some fees
• Positive Sentiment: The company also launched an industry-first loyalty program offering 3% back on bills plus brand perks, signaling a more customer-friendly push under new CEO Dan Schulman. Verizon Breaks Industry Mold to Put Customers First
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon continues to highlight network strength and resilience, including preparations for a potential tropical storm in the Gulf Coast, reinforcing its reputation for reliable service during emergencies. Verizon’s Ready to keep you Connected as a Potential Tropical Storm Forms in the Gulf; Offers Tips to Prepare
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s private 5G and security initiatives, including the Anthropic-linked Project Glasswing and expanded enterprise connectivity partnerships, support longer-term growth opportunities. Ericsson Private 5G now available for Verizon Business private networks internationally
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive but cautious, with Freedom Broker initiating coverage at Hold and a $53 target, suggesting execution will be important for the stock’s next move. Freedom Broker Sees Verizon (VZ) as an Execution-Dependent Telecom Story
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may be wary that the new fee cuts and perks could pressure margins in an already highly competitive wireless market if subscriber gains do not offset the added incentives. Verizon Drops $40 Fees as Wireless Freebies Race Heats Up

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $46.82 on Wednesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The company has a market cap of $195.48 billion, a PE ratio of 11.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.24. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.59.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during 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%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is 69.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Dbs Bank downgraded Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.59.

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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