Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Raises Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden increased its Verizon stake by 63.1% in the first quarter, buying 707,275 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 1,828,588 shares worth about $91.8 million.
• Verizon announced a $4 billion joint venture with BT aimed at expanding global enterprise connectivity services, with exposure to cloud, AI, and compliance demand in more than 180 countries.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS of $1.28 and continues to offer a large dividend, with a 6.6% yield on its newly घोषित quarterly payout.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 63.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,828,588 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after acquiring an additional 707,275 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $91,795,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the first quarter worth $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced a new $4 billion joint venture with BT to expand global connectivity services for enterprise customers, giving it exposure to cloud, AI, and compliance-related demand across more than 180 countries. Verizon Forms $4 Billion BT Venture For Global Enterprise Customers
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Verizon’s upcoming second-quarter earnings report to show a single-digit increase in profit, which supports the case that the company’s core business remains stable and profitable. What to Expect From Verizon Communications' Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon continues to appeal to income investors because of its long dividend-growth record, with 19 straight years of dividend increases reinforcing its defensive, high-yield profile. Better High-Yield Dividend Stock: Verizon or AT&T?
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon was recently dropped from the Dow Jones Industrial Average and replaced by Alphabet, a headline that may affect sentiment but does not directly change the company’s underlying operations. Better High-Yield Dividend Stock: Verizon or AT&T?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry coverage on Starlink and SpaceX is keeping investors focused on longer-term wireless competition, but those threats still face major capacity and infrastructure hurdles before they materially challenge Verizon’s core network business. Starlink Dominates Internet From Space. Can It Disrupt AT&T and Verizon on the Ground?
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon warned that ongoing transformation efforts will create Q2 charges, including $350 million to $450 million in severance costs and $200 million to $300 million in asset-rationalization charges, which could pressure reported results. Verizon Sees Severance Charge from Headcount Reductions
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent commentary says Verizon looks inexpensive but still faces weak execution and competitive pressure, suggesting investors are not fully convinced the recent weakness is a buying opportunity yet. Verizon Stock Looks Cheap On Earnings But Weak On Execution

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. Barclays upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $42.57 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market cap of $177.77 billion, a PE ratio of 10.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.93.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

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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