Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Sold by Amundi

Amundi cut its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 11.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,224,766 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 2,618,683 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned about 0.48% of Verizon Communications worth $1,015,281,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at $2,357,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised 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 valued at $1,286,423,000 after acquiring an additional 7,509,055 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $9,080,810,000 after acquiring an additional 7,461,335 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $4,747,930,000 after acquiring an additional 5,851,715 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $15,453,058,000 after acquiring an additional 5,497,598 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s second-quarter performance showed improving wireless subscriber growth, lower churn, reduced promotional costs, stronger broadband additions, and robust cash flow. Management raised its 2026 financial and free-cash-flow outlook, strengthening the investment case for earnings growth and dividend coverage. VZ Q2 Earnings Call Signals Faster Growth From Churn Gains
• Positive Sentiment: A more than $1 billion dark-fiber agreement with Alphabet, along with Verizon’s AI Connect initiative, could provide a new source of revenue from AI infrastructure and connectivity. Management expects more meaningful revenue and margin contributions beginning next year. Verizon May Be an AI Infrastructure Stock Hiding in Plain Sight
• Positive Sentiment: At least six analysts raised their price targets following the earnings update. TD Cowen increased its target to $56 and kept a Buy rating, while Scotiabank raised its target to $52.50 and maintained Sector Outperform. The improved outlook has also prompted a bullish rating upgrade from Seeking Alpha. VZ Stock Is Up 22% This Year
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is expanding 5G, fiber, converged services, and AI connectivity to diversify beyond traditional wireless. These investments could support long-term growth, but their returns depend on successful execution and continued demand. How Verizon is Positioning Itself for the Next Wave of AI Connectivity
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts still see limited upside at the current level. Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Barclays, and RBC retained Equal Weight or Sector Perform ratings, with targets ranging from $46 to $52. Competitive pressure and the need to sustain subscriber momentum remain key risks.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on VZ shares. Moffett Nathanson dropped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. 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 currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $50.84.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE:VZ opened at $48.23 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $201.37 billion, a PE ratio of 12.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. The company has a fifty day moving average of $45.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.35.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is presently 73.70%.

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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