Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Bought by Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky

Key Points

• Teachers Retirement System of the State of Kentucky increased its Verizon stake by 31.7% in the first quarter, buying an additional 202,000 shares and bringing its total holding to 840,086 shares worth about $42.2 million.
• Verizon reported Q1 earnings of $1.28 per share, topping analyst estimates, while revenue came in at $34.44 billion and was up 2.7% from a year earlier. The company also reaffirmed guidance for FY 2026 EPS of 4.950 to 4.990.
• The board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, equal to an annualized payout of $2.83 and a 6.7% yield. Meanwhile, Wall Street’s consensus rating remains Hold with an average price target of $50.28.

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 31.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 840,086 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 202,000 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $42,173,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the 4th quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ opened at $42.14 on Monday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The firm has a market cap of $175.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.28, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.01.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion for 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 firm's revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is 69.02%.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on VZ. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley raised 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. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised shares of Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $50.28.

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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