Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Bought by Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC

Key Points

• Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC increased its Verizon stake by 10.6% in the first quarter, adding 44,560 shares and bringing its total holding to 465,480 shares worth about $23.4 million.
• Analysts remain mixed on Verizon: several firms raised price targets, but the stock’s overall consensus rating is still “Hold,” with an average target price of $50.28.
• Verizon continues to highlight income and growth catalysts, including a 6.7% dividend yield and a new automotive connectivity deal through KDDI to become the U.S. provider for newly manufactured BMW Group vehicles.

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 10.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 465,480 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 44,560 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications accounts for about 2.6% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $23,367,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Avanza Fonder AB grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $13,521,000 after buying an additional 17,495 shares during the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $3,184,000 after purchasing an additional 14,862 shares during the last quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 713,156 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $35,790,000 after purchasing an additional 31,354 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 2,197,366 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $89,499,000 after purchasing an additional 639,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clarity Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 697.0% in the 4th quarter. Clarity Financial LLC now owns 471,127 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $19,189,000 after purchasing an additional 412,018 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup increased their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $50.28.

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

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VZ traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $42.14. 27,697,528 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 33,171,120. The company 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $46.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.97. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week 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.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications'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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.7%. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is presently 69.02%.

About Verizon Communications

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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