Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Purchases 103,199 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Janney Montgomery Scott increased its Verizon stake by 5.3% in the second quarter, purchasing 103,199 shares for a total holding of 2.04 million shares valued at approximately $86.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 62.06% of Verizon.
• Verizon reported quarterly EPS of $1.30, beating estimates of $1.27, while revenue fell 0.7% year over year to $34.25 billion. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $4.99–$5.04.
• Verizon pays a quarterly dividend of $0.7075, equivalent to an annualized $2.83 payout and a 5.7% yield. Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $50.84.

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,036,896 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 103,199 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $86,242,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. USS Investment Management Ltd raised its position in Verizon Communications by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 713,156 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $35,790,000 after buying an additional 31,354 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Capital Inc. now owns 317,284 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $13,434,000 after acquiring an additional 25,156 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 2,382,975 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $97,059,000 after acquiring an additional 316,854 shares in the last quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth $2,171,000. Finally, CPC Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 76.4% in the first quarter. CPC Advisors LLC now owns 123,287 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $6,189,000 after purchasing an additional 53,405 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.68, for a total value of $53,548.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 109,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,348,276.88. The trade was a 0.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $49.34 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.29. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68. The firm has a market cap of $205.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%.The business's revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were issued a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Moffett Nathanson decreased 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 lifted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $50.84.

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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