Crescent Grove Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Crescent Grove Advisors sharply reduced its Verizon stake by 86.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 48,715 shares and ending with 7,420 shares valued at about $302,000.
• Verizon shares were down 3.8% in recent trading, opening at $44.87, while the stock remains supported by a 6.3% dividend yield and a quarterly payout of $0.7075 per share.
• The company recently beat earnings expectations with EPS of $1.28 versus the $1.21 estimate, though revenue came in slightly below forecasts; analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $50.59.

Crescent Grove Advisors LLC lowered its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 86.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,420 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 48,715 shares during the period. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $302,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VZ. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 316,854 shares in the last quarter. Greenspring Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $343,000. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. now owns 32,074 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,306,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 173.0% in the fourth quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC increased its position in Verizon Communications by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 3,299 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $134,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 3.8%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $44.87 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $187.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.94, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.24. The business's 50 day moving average price is $47.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.27.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications's revenue 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, sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on VZ shares. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.59.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon declared its regular quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, unchanged from the prior quarter, which reinforces the company’s appeal to income-focused investors. Verizon declares quarterly dividend on June 4, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon reported the results of its 2026 annual shareholder meeting, where shareholders elected all nine director nominees. This is routine governance news and does not appear to materially change the investment outlook. Verizon Communications (VZ) Announced Results for Annual 2026 Shareholder Meeting
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court backed the FCC’s fine-collection process in a case involving Verizon and AT&T, removing a legal challenge that wireless carriers had hoped might limit regulatory penalties. Investors may view this as a modest negative for carrier risk exposure. US Supreme Court backs FCC in clash with wireless carriers over fines
• Negative Sentiment: Recent market coverage also highlighted Verizon’s weaker trading session versus the broader market, and another report noted operational friction from a strict in-store policy that could frustrate customers. Together, these items point to short-term sentiment pressure on the stock. Why Verizon Communications (VZ) Dipped More Than Broader Market Today

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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