Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Increases Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Envestnet Asset Management increased its Verizon stake by 1.7% in the second quarter, adding 214,932 shares and bringing its holdings to 13.1 million shares valued at approximately $555.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 62.06% of Verizon.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with eight Buy ratings and twelve Holds producing a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $50.97. Verizon recently reported $1.30 in quarterly EPS, exceeding estimates, though revenue declined 0.7% year over year.
• Verizon announced a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, equivalent to an annualized $2.83 payout and a 6.1% yield. The company’s payout ratio is 73.70%.

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,110,356 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 214,932 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned 0.32% of Verizon Communications worth $555,091,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 33.2% during the second quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA now owns 63,011 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $2,668,000 after purchasing an additional 15,714 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 338,532 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $14,333,000 after acquiring an additional 1,479 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 25,656 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,086,000 after acquiring an additional 913 shares during the period. Gemmer Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the second quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.2% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 10,714,909 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $453,669,000 after purchasing an additional 129,613 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Moffett Nathanson reduced their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $50.97.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ stock opened at $46.51 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. The company's fifty day moving average price is $48.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.43. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The company has a market capitalization of $193.23 billion, a PE ratio of 12.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%.The company had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.22 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.65, for a total transaction of $52,415.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 104,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,973,039.90. This trade represents a 1.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 5,500 shares of company stock valued at $271,557 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced a $70 million investment in a nationwide AI-skills program for job seekers, small businesses and educators. Partnerships with Goodwill, IBM, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and OpenAI could strengthen Verizon’s brand and community relationships, although the near-term financial impact is likely modest. Verizon to invest $70 million in AI training effort
• Positive Sentiment: The company also committed a $1 million grant to Liberty Science Center to expand public access to AI-skilling technology. The initiative supports Verizon’s workforce-development strategy and may enhance its corporate reputation. Verizon donates $1 million to Liberty Science Center
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts see Verizon as a leading bidder in the 2027 spectrum auction, where it could spend as much as $20 billion. Additional spectrum could support 5G and future 6G growth, but the outcome and financial return remain uncertain. Verizon Seen Leading 2027 Spectrum Auction
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing his direct holdings by about 1%. The planned nature and small size of the transaction make it a limited trading signal. Verizon executive stock sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: A contractor accidentally cut a Verizon fiber cable in New Jersey, disrupting a backup data feed used by air-traffic controllers and contributing to flight delays in the Northeast. The incident raises reliability and reputational concerns, though no material financial loss was reported. Verizon says contractor cut fiber cable amid Northeast flight disruptions
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon is seeking approval to discontinue a legacy landline service in nine states. The move could reduce costs over time, but regulatory scrutiny and customer disruption represent near-term risks. Verizon plans to discontinue a phone service

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and related technology services. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, 5G connectivity, fixed wireless access, fiber-optic internet through Verizon Fios, home services, and connected-device solutions.

Through Verizon Business, the company serves enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations with communications networks, managed connectivity, cybersecurity, cloud and edge-computing services, unified communications, and Internet of Things solutions.

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