Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. Has $5.53 Million Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Generali Investments CEE boosted its Verizon stake by 21.4% in Q4 to 135,784 shares (added 23,906) worth about $5.53 million.
• Wall Street sentiment is broadly positive with a MarketBeat average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.32 (1 Strong Buy, 10 Buy, 9 Hold), and several firms recently raised ratings/targets.
• Verizon raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (from $0.69), an annualized $2.83 implying roughly a 5.6% yield; the ex-dividend date is April 10 and it pays May 1.

Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 21.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 135,784 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 23,906 shares during the period. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $5,530,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 61.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,759,000 after buying an additional 16,704 shares during the period. United Bank lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 11.5% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 806 shares in the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter worth about $689,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter valued at about $208,000. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter valued at about $771,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on VZ. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Scotiabank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $56.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.32.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $50.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $212.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.27.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The firm's revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.6%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 68.15%.

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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