Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd Sells 249,445 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd. cut its Verizon stake by 77.8% in the second quarter, selling 249,445 shares and retaining 71,122 shares valued at approximately $3.0 million. Institutional investors collectively own 62.06% of Verizon.
• Verizon reported quarterly EPS of $1.30, exceeding estimates by $0.03, while revenue of $34.25 billion fell short of expectations and declined 0.7% year over year.
• Verizon’s quarterly dividend is $0.7075 per share, equating to an annualized 5.6% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $50.84.

Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd reduced its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 77.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 71,122 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 249,445 shares during the quarter. Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $3,011,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Polymer Capital Management HK LTD bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the second quarter valued at $762,000. Capital Square LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 47.0% in the second quarter. Capital Square LLC now owns 18,253 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $769,000 after purchasing an additional 5,833 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 8.1% in the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 613,083 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $25,958,000 after purchasing an additional 45,922 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 24.5% in the second quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 71,498 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $3,027,000 after purchasing an additional 14,079 shares during the period. Finally, Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd raised its position in Verizon Communications by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 738,521 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $31,269,000 after purchasing an additional 45,113 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.06, for a total value of $55,066.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 108,766 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,444,825.96. The trade was a 1.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ opened at $50.11 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $45.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $47.42. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $208.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.25.

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

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th were paid a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is 73.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on VZ shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Freedom Capital raised Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson reduced their target price on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 20th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $50.84.

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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