Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Acquires 67,162 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Fort Washington Investment Advisors increased its Verizon stake by 4.5% in the first quarter, buying 67,162 additional shares. The fund now holds 1,572,692 shares valued at about $78.9 million.
• Institutional ownership in Verizon remains high, with several large investors also boosting positions and 62.06% of the stock owned by institutions overall. That suggests continued professional investor interest in the telecom giant.
• Recent news was mostly constructive for Verizon: it won major FCC spectrum licenses for about $3.2 billion and also completed a $1.0 billion spectrum purchase from Array Digital Infrastructure. However, the company may face future competition from SpaceX’s planned Starlink mobile service.

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,572,692 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 67,162 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $78,949,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,357,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 31.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 31,584,162 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,286,423,000 after purchasing an additional 7,509,055 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $9,080,810,000 after purchasing an additional 7,461,335 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $4,747,930,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851,715 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon was a major winner in the FCC’s first spectrum auction in four years, bidding about $3.2 billion for mid-band wireless licenses. The added spectrum could improve network capacity and long-term service quality, which is constructive for Verizon’s growth outlook. Reuters article on Verizon spectrum bids
• Positive Sentiment: Array Digital Infrastructure completed the sale of a portion of its spectrum license to Verizon for $1.0 billion, reinforcing Verizon’s willingness to invest in strategic wireless assets and expand its spectrum position. Yahoo Finance article on Array Digital Infrastructure sale to Verizon
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and fair-value revisions were mixed but slightly constructive, with one report saying Verizon’s estimated fair value edged higher after revisions. That suggests the market still sees value in the stock despite near-term uncertainties. Yahoo Finance article on Verizon fair value
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon confirmed it will report second-quarter 2026 earnings on July 24, keeping attention on subscriber trends, wireless pricing, and capital spending plans. GlobeNewswire earnings date announcement
• Negative Sentiment: SpaceX reportedly plans a Starlink mobile service for U.S. consumers and may eventually build its own mobile network, which could intensify competition for Verizon in wireless connectivity and pressure future growth expectations. FT report on SpaceX Starlink mobile service

Verizon Communications Price Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $46.43 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average is $46.93 and its 200 day moving average is $45.83. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two 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. The company has a market capitalization of $193.89 billion, a PE ratio of 11.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.24.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. The business'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. Sell-side analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VZ shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Barclays upped their price objective 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. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.59.

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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