LFG Wealth Partners LLC Takes Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• LFG Wealth Partners LLC opened a new position in Verizon Communications, buying 52,794 shares valued at about $2.15 million in the fourth quarter.
• Verizon’s latest quarter topped earnings expectations, posting $1.28 EPS versus the $1.21 consensus, though revenue of $34.44 billion came in slightly below estimates.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, which annualizes to $2.83 and implies a 6.0% yield; analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average target price of $50.59.

LFG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 52,794 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock, valued at approximately $2,150,000. Verizon Communications comprises 1.4% of LFG Wealth Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Sienna Gestion increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Sienna Gestion now owns 310,811 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $12,587,000 after purchasing an additional 14,210 shares in the last quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych PZU SA now owns 5,400 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 681,802 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $27,787,000 after purchasing an additional 2,160 shares during the last quarter. Zinnia Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at $306,000. Finally, Venture Visionary Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 143,041 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $5,832,000 after purchasing an additional 3,067 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 2.1%

VZ stock opened at $47.11 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $196.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.24. 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 business's 50-day moving average is $47.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.55. 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 released its quarterly 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Dbs Bank cut shares of Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Company 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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