Swiss National Bank Boosts Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank increased its Verizon stake by 7.1% in the first quarter, ending with 12.37 million shares valued at about $621.2 million. Institutional ownership remains high, with 62.06% of the stock held by institutions.
• Verizon is pushing a major cost-cutting restructuring, including selling 274 company-owned retail stores and eliminating roughly 3,000 jobs. Investors have responded positively, seeing the move as a potential boost to margins.
• The company recently reported earnings that beat EPS estimates but missed revenue expectations, and it also reaffirmed FY 2026 EPS guidance of $4.95 to $4.99. Analysts remain cautious overall, with a consensus rating of Hold and a price target around $50.09.

Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 7.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,374,198 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 820,100 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.30% of Verizon Communications worth $621,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the first quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 592,575 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $29,747,000 after acquiring an additional 20,033 shares during the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 85.4% during the first quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 158,131 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $7,938,000 after acquiring an additional 72,849 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 942.3% in the first quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 914,764 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $46,013,000 after purchasing an additional 826,999 shares during the last quarter. Spartan Wealth Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the first quarter worth $2,595,000. Finally, Ascent Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 49,298 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $2,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,259 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is moving to sell 274 company-owned retail stores to franchisees and cut roughly 3,000 jobs, a restructuring that could lower operating costs and improve margins over time. Reuters: Verizon to shed 274 stores, lay off another 500 corporate employees
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction has been favorable to the cost-reset story, with articles noting VZ rose as investors responded to the store shakeup and expense reduction plans. Yahoo Finance: VZ Stock Rises — Verizon Moves To Slash Costs With Major Store Shakeup
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its FY2026 earnings estimate for Verizon and kept a Hold rating, suggesting only modest near-term earnings improvement. MarketBeat analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is expected to report earnings on Friday, which keeps investors focused on whether the restructuring and broadband growth can offset slower revenue trends. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (VZ) to Post Earnings on Friday
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts are cautioning that Verizon already trades at a premium relative to peers, which could limit upside if earnings growth disappoints. Trefis: VZ Earns Its Premium Over Peers. Now What?
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank also lowered its price target to $51.50, reflecting some skepticism about the pace of Verizon’s improvement. American Banking News: Verizon Communications NYSE: VZ Price Target Lowered to $51.50 at Scotiabank

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ opened at $43.57 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68. 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's fifty day moving average price is $45.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.07. The firm has a market cap of $181.91 billion, a PE ratio of 10.63, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.19 EPS. The firm'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. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VZ has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.50 to $51.50 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $50.09.

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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