Tevis Investment Management Makes New Investment in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Tevis Investment Management opened a new position in Verizon during the first quarter, buying 42,008 shares valued at about $2.1 million. Verizon now represents 1.2% of the fund’s portfolio and is its 26th-largest holding.
• Institutional interest in Verizon remains strong, with several major investors including Norges Bank, Vanguard, State Street, and Bank of New York Mellon either adding to or holding large stakes. Overall, institutions own about 62.06% of the stock.
• Verizon reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.28 per share, though revenue came in slightly below estimates. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, implying an annual yield of about 6.7%.

Tevis Investment Management acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 42,008 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock, valued at approximately $2,109,000. Verizon Communications makes up 1.2% of Tevis Investment Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $2,357,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 7,509,055 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $9,080,810,000 after purchasing an additional 7,461,335 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 5,851,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.5% in 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 purchasing 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

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report 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 MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $50.28.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $42.14 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market cap of $175.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The company's 50-day moving average price is $46.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.01.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The company 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 firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.02%.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is being highlighted as a potentially attractive dividend stock, with Barron’s saying now may be a good time to buy income-oriented names like VZ as yields look more compelling. Why Verizon, Clorox and More Dividend Stocks Are Flashing a Buy Signal
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon won a new automotive connectivity contract through its KDDI partnership, becoming the U.S. connectivity provider for newly manufactured BMW Group vehicles, which could support growth in its enterprise and IoT business. Verizon named U.S. connectivity provider for newly manufactured BMW Group vehicles through KDDI partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts also flagged Verizon as a telecom name worth owning, noting its fiber and wireless expansion strategy and suggesting it may have a good setup for its next earnings report. T or VZ: Which Telecom Stock Deserves a Place in Your Portfolio?
• Positive Sentiment: Another recent report said Verizon has a strong earnings surprise history and could beat estimates again, which tends to support investor confidence ahead of results. Will Verizon (VZ) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs won asset-management mandates tied to Verizon’s retirement assets, but this is mainly a financial-services arrangement rather than an operational development for Verizon. Goldman Sachs wins $70 billion in asset management deals with Verizon, Lockheed Martin
• Neutral Sentiment: Some broader commentary on enterprise internet reliability and telecom competition, including Starlink-related pressure, may add noise to the sector outlook, but it is not a direct negative catalyst for Verizon itself. Verizon NYSE: VZ Dow Exit Deepens Starlink Market Pressure

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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