Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Sold by Beacon Financial Group

Key Points

• Beacon Financial Group cut its Verizon stake by 66.1% in the first quarter, selling 82,179 shares and leaving it with 42,162 shares worth about $2.12 million.
• Verizon’s latest quarter topped earnings expectations, posting $1.28 EPS versus the $1.21 consensus, while revenue rose 2.7% year over year. The company also reaffirmed FY2026 EPS guidance of 4.950 to 4.990.
• Verizon declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 6.7%, even as analysts remain cautious overall with a consensus rating of Hold.

Beacon Financial Group lessened its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 66.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,162 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 82,179 shares during the period. Beacon Financial Group's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $2,117,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $9,080,810,000 after buying an additional 7,461,335 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 5,851,715 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $4,168,080,000 after buying an additional 867,694 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $2,357,158,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced a new U.S. connectivity role for BMW Group vehicles through its KDDI partnership, expanding its automotive IoT and connected-vehicle business and potentially adding high-margin enterprise revenue. Verizon named U.S. connectivity provider for newly manufactured BMW Group vehicles through KDDI partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs winning a mandate to manage $40 billion in Verizon retirement assets signals continued confidence in Verizon as a major corporate client and does not suggest any immediate operating weakness. Goldman Sachs wins $70 billion in asset management deals with Verizon, Lockheed Martin
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Verizon’s strong earnings-beat track record and said it has the ingredients for another earnings surprise, which could support the stock if upcoming results are solid. Will Verizon (VZ) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo and Barclays both maintained cautious “equal weight” views on Verizon, with Barclays trimming its price target, reflecting limited near-term upside even though targets remain above the current share price. Verizon Communications had its price target lowered by Barclays PLC
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports warned that SpaceX’s Starlink is intensifying competitive pressure on major U.S. telecom carriers, including Verizon, which could weigh on wireless and fixed wireless growth expectations. SpaceX's Starlink Puts Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile Under the Microscope

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $42.19 on Friday. 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 $46.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.00. 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 $176.16 billion, a PE ratio of 10.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.7%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on VZ. Morgan Stanley upped their target price 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. Barclays lowered their price target on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $56.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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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