Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Takes Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Louisiana State Employees Retirement System opened a new position in Verizon Communications in the first quarter, buying 214,900 shares valued at about $10.8 million.
• Verizon continues to attract major institutional interest, with large holders like Vanguard, State Street, and Norges Bank also increasing or establishing stakes; institutions now own about 62.06% of the stock.
• Analysts remain mixed but generally constructive: Verizon has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a price target of $50.59, while the stock recently traded at $46.07 and offers a 6.1% dividend yield.

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 214,900 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock, valued at approximately $10,788,000.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays lifted their target price 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. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of VZ opened at $46.07 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.83. 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 company has a market cap of $192.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is 69.02%.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon remains a popular dividend stock, with investors still attracted to its roughly 6% yield and defensive profile. Why Johnson & Johnson, Altria, Verizon, and Other Safe Dividend Stocks Climbed Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Some market commentary continues to frame Verizon as a potential income play, with its high yield appealing to investors seeking stability rather than growth. Verizon Communications (VZ) Falls More Steeply Than Broader Market: What Investors Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s latest earnings were solid, with the company recently beating EPS estimates, which may help support the stock’s valuation over time.
• Negative Sentiment: S&P Dow Jones Indices said Verizon will be removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average and replaced by Alphabet, reducing its visibility in the blue-chip benchmark. Alphabet Wins a Seat at the Dow
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also reacting to the fact that Verizon’s lower share price gave it only a small weighting in the price-weighted Dow, reinforcing concerns that the company has become less relevant to the index. Could Nike Get the Boot from the Dow? Why Berkshire Hathaway Might Take Its Place.

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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