D.A. Davidson & CO. Raises Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• D.A. Davidson & Co. boosted its Verizon stake by 10.7% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 648,540 shares worth about $32.6 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains mixed: Verizon has 9 Buy ratings and 12 Hold ratings, with a consensus “Hold” and average price target of $50.09.
• Verizon recently reported Q1 EPS of $1.28, beating estimates, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 6.6%.

D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 10.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 648,540 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 62,688 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $32,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VZ. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the 4th quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VZ shares. Barclays reduced their price target on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Freedom Capital raised Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.50 to $51.50 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $50.09.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $42.83 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $178.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.45, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $45.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.07. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is 69.02%.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised several of its Verizon earnings estimates for 2026 and 2027, including FY2027 EPS to $5.40 from $5.31, suggesting improved profit expectations for the wireless carrier.
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is drawing attention as a dividend stock, with multiple articles highlighting its nearly 7% yield and positioning it as a potential income play for investors seeking steady cash flow.
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is expanding into connected-car services through a BMW and KDDI partnership, which could support longer-term growth in 5G and IoT-related revenue. BMW XTRA: BMW Launches U.S. Connected Car Service With Verizon And KDDI
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media coverage continue to frame Verizon as a value/income stock, with some pieces arguing the shares may be undervalued relative to earnings power and upcoming results.
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank cut Verizon’s price target to $51.50 from $54.50, signaling less upside than before despite keeping an outperform view.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern over SpaceX’s Starlink remains a drag on telecom stocks, with several reports noting that competition fears have pressured Verizon and peers.
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Verizon is preparing another round of layoffs and cost cuts may raise questions about growth and execution, even if the moves are aimed at improving efficiency.

Verizon Communications Company 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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