Kestra Advisory Services LLC Buys 64,168 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Kestra Advisory Services increased its Verizon stake by 5.9% in Q1, buying 64,168 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 1,150,804 shares worth about $57.8 million.
• Verizon reported better-than-expected EPS of $1.28 on April 27, though revenue of $34.44 billion came in slightly below estimates. The company also raised its FY 2026 guidance to 4.950–4.990 EPS.
• Verizon continues to offer a high dividend yield of about 6.7% and remains heavily owned by institutions, while analysts overall keep a Hold consensus with a target price around $50.28 despite some positive business developments and competitive pressure from Starlink.

Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 5.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,150,804 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 64,168 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $57,770,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $9,080,810,000 after purchasing an additional 7,461,335 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the 4th 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 buying an additional 5,851,715 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $4,168,080,000 after buying an additional 867,694 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at $2,357,158,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced a new U.S. connectivity role for BMW Group vehicles through its KDDI partnership, expanding its automotive IoT and connected-vehicle business and potentially adding high-margin enterprise revenue. Verizon named U.S. connectivity provider for newly manufactured BMW Group vehicles through KDDI partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs winning a mandate to manage $40 billion in Verizon retirement assets signals continued confidence in Verizon as a major corporate client and does not suggest any immediate operating weakness. Goldman Sachs wins $70 billion in asset management deals with Verizon, Lockheed Martin
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Verizon’s strong earnings-beat track record and said it has the ingredients for another earnings surprise, which could support the stock if upcoming results are solid. Will Verizon (VZ) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo and Barclays both maintained cautious “equal weight” views on Verizon, with Barclays trimming its price target, reflecting limited near-term upside even though targets remain above the current share price. Verizon Communications had its price target lowered by Barclays PLC
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports warned that SpaceX’s Starlink is intensifying competitive pressure on major U.S. telecom carriers, including Verizon, which could weigh on wireless and fixed wireless growth expectations. SpaceX's Starlink Puts Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile Under the Microscope

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on VZ shares. 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. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. 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 report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Dbs Bank cut Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $50.28.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.6%

VZ stock opened at $42.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $176.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a 50-day moving average of $46.19 and a 200-day moving average of $46.00. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.Verizon Communications's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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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