Entropy Technologies LP Purchases 25,745 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Entropy Technologies LP grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 49.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 77,400 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after acquiring an additional 25,745 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $3,885,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 2.6% in the first quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 16,297 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $769,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 78.1% in the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 7,041,869 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $353,502,000 after purchasing an additional 3,087,186 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.4% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,712,393 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $85,962,000 after purchasing an additional 23,100 shares in the last quarter. Rockbridge Investment Management LCC lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 99.0% during the 1st quarter. Rockbridge Investment Management LCC now owns 11,284 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $566,000 after acquiring an additional 5,614 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 13.9% during the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 66,504 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $3,339,000 after purchasing an additional 8,095 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 5.7%

Shares of VZ stock opened at $46.34 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $45.39 and its 200 day moving average is $46.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $193.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.22 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is presently 69.02%.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon beat Q2 adjusted EPS estimates at $1.30 versus $1.27 expected, helped by record EBITDA margins and stronger cash generation. Verizon earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its full-year 2026 guidance for adjusted EPS, mobility and broadband service revenue, and free cash flow, signaling management confidence in the outlook. Reuters guidance article
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon posted better-than-expected subscriber momentum, including 184,000 postpaid phone additions and more than 550,000 total mobility and broadband net adds, showing the core business is improving. Verizon press release
• Positive Sentiment: Free cash flow rose 24.4% and Verizon expanded its full-year buyback target to as much as $4.5 billion, both supportive of shareholder returns. Verizon press release
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon also announced a more than $1 billion dark fiber deal with Google for AI data centers, suggesting potential upside from infrastructure demand and additional AI-related contracts. Reuters Google deal article
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue came in below Wall Street expectations and was slightly lower year over year, so top-line pressure is still a concern. Verizon earnings report
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity was unusually heavy, with traders buying more call options than normal, which may reflect speculative bullish positioning rather than fundamental news. GuruFocus earnings call highlights

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank reduced 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 research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $50.03.

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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