Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Purchases 152,166 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Swiss Life Asset Management increased its Verizon stake by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, buying 152,166 shares and bringing its total holding to 5,951,991 shares worth about $242.4 million.
• Verizon’s latest quarterly results topped earnings expectations, with EPS of $1.28 versus the $1.21 consensus, while revenue rose 2.7% year over year to $34.44 billion.
• Wall Street remains cautiously positive on Verizon, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $50.59; analysts have also recently nudged price targets higher.

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,951,991 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 152,166 shares during the period. Verizon Communications comprises about 1.2% of Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd owned 0.14% of Verizon Communications worth $242,425,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.8% in the second quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 30,400 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the third quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 5,035 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 26.2% in the third quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.9% in the third quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 9,025 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Evercore upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ stock opened at $47.21 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $197.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.51, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.24. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.20. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon will have CEO Dan Schulman speak at two upcoming investor conferences, giving management a chance to outline strategy, answer questions on the business outlook, and potentially reinforce confidence in the company’s execution. Verizon to Speak at Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Verizon to $4.96 from $4.92, signaling slightly better earnings expectations and suggesting analysts see stable fundamentals ahead. Verizon Communications (VZ) Surged from Excellent Execution
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s broader fiber expansion and buyback plans continue to support the investment case, as the company now has a larger fiber footprint and a $25 billion repurchase authorization that can help offset share dilution and support per-share metrics. Verizon Weighs Frontier Fiber Expansion Against Buybacks And Cost Cuts
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon also confirmed a few hundred job cuts as part of an ongoing operational revamp. The move supports cost discipline, but it is not large enough on its own to materially change the near-term earnings outlook. Verizon cutting a few hundred jobs nationwide

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

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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