Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Purchased by CPC Advisors LLC

Key Points

• CPC Advisors LLC increased its Verizon stake by 76.4% in the first quarter, buying 53,405 additional shares and bringing its total to 123,287 shares worth about $6.19 million.
• Verizon reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.28 per share, though revenue of $34.44 billion came in slightly below estimates; the company also raised its FY 2026 guidance to 4.950-4.990 EPS.
• Verizon declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, or $2.83 annually, implying a 6.2% yield. Analysts currently have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $50.59.

CPC Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 76.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 123,287 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 53,405 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications makes up approximately 1.0% of CPC Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. CPC Advisors LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $6,189,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,357,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Verizon Communications by 31.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 31,584,162 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,286,423,000 after purchasing an additional 7,509,055 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $9,080,810,000 after purchasing an additional 7,461,335 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 5.3% during the fourth 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 period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the fourth 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of VZ stock opened at $45.44 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $189.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $46.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.69.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current 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 given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is 69.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VZ shares. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.59.

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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