Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Acquired by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its Verizon stake by 12% in the first quarter, buying 106,325 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 992,459 shares worth about $49.8 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but cautious: recent updates included price target cuts from Barclays and BNP Paribas Exane, while the overall consensus rating on Verizon is still Hold with an average target price of $50.28.
• Verizon recently reported better-than-expected EPS of $1.28, and it continues to offer a sizable dividend of $0.7075 per share quarterly, equating to an annual yield of about 6.7%.

Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 12.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 992,459 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 106,325 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $49,821,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. RKL Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,338 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 2,765 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 35,023 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,426,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.8% during the 4th 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. Finally, Triton Wealth Management PLLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 9,257 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on VZ shares. Barclays dropped their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Freedom Capital raised Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $50.28.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Negative Sentiment: Verizon is reportedly planning another round of layoffs this Thursday as management targets $5 billion in operational budget cuts, raising concerns about execution and the need for cost reductions to support earnings. Verizon Plans New Round Of Layoffs
• Negative Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane cut its price target on Verizon to $44 from $46 and reiterated a neutral stance, suggesting limited near-term re-rating potential for the stock. BNP Paribas Exane lowers Verizon PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon has also been caught up in broader telecom sector worries tied to SpaceX/Starlink competition, which is pressuring sentiment across the group rather than reflecting a company-specific change in fundamentals.
• Positive Sentiment: Offsetting some of the pessimism, Verizon recently expanded into BMW connected cars and launched the Gizmo Watch 4, showing continued product and partnership activity in higher-growth connected services. Verizon Expands Into BMW Connected Cars And Launches Gizmo Watch 4

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of VZ opened at $42.44 on Wednesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68. The stock has a market cap of $177.19 billion, a PE ratio of 10.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.26. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $45.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.05.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. The business's 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. 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 currently 69.02%.

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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