Forsta AP Fonden Sells 294,600 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden cut its Verizon stake by 19.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 294,600 shares and leaving it with 1,194,750 shares valued at about $48.7 million.
• Verizon’s latest quarterly results topped earnings estimates, with EPS of $1.28 versus the expected $1.21, though revenue of $34.44 billion came in slightly below forecasts.
• Wall Street remains cautiously positive on the stock: analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $50.59, while the shares recently traded around $47.84.

Forsta AP Fonden lessened its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 19.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,194,750 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 294,600 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $48,662,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 9,257 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 9,788 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 14,891 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 27,471 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on VZ. Dbs Bank cut shares of Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research 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 issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.84 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $47.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.67, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 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.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

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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