Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Acquired by Farther Finance Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Farther Finance Advisors increased its stake in Verizon by 40.1% in Q4 to 208,341 shares (worth $8.49M), while institutional investors now own about 62.06% of the company.
• Verizon raised its quarterly dividend to $0.7075 (annualized $2.83), implying a 6.3% yield; the ex-dividend date is April 10 and the payment is scheduled for May 1.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a MarketBeat consensus of “Moderate Buy” and a $50.56 target, as several firms have recently raised price targets (e.g., Citigroup to $55 and Oppenheimer to $56).

Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 40.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 208,341 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 59,660 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $8,486,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. TruNorth Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 95.3% during the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 739.5% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VZ has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $50.56.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $45.06 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $188.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.13, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The business's 50 day moving average is $49.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.66.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. Research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is presently 69.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares in the company, valued at $2,189,100. The trade was a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications 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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