Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Sold by FSA Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• FSA Advisors Inc. cut its Verizon stake by 77.3% in the first quarter, selling 23,572 shares and leaving it with 6,916 shares valued at about $347,000.
• Other institutions mostly remained active in the stock, and hedge funds/institutional investors own 62.06% of Verizon shares overall.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but cautious: Verizon has a “Hold” consensus with an average price target of $50.09, while the stock is trading around $43.57 and the company continues to pay a 6.5% dividend yield.

FSA Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 77.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,916 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 23,572 shares during the period. FSA Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $347,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter worth $215,000. Kera Capital Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 25,183 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,264,000 after buying an additional 1,843 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 24.8% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 5,466 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 1,087 shares during the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 20.0% in the first quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 25,125 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,261,000 after acquiring an additional 4,181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 5.4% during the first quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,837 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $996,000 after acquiring an additional 1,013 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on VZ shares. Barclays dropped their price target on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $43.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $50.09.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is moving to sell 274 company-owned retail stores to franchisees and cut roughly 3,000 jobs, a restructuring that could lower operating costs and improve margins over time. Reuters: Verizon to shed 274 stores, lay off another 500 corporate employees
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction has been favorable to the cost-reset story, with articles noting VZ rose as investors responded to the store shakeup and expense reduction plans. Yahoo Finance: VZ Stock Rises — Verizon Moves To Slash Costs With Major Store Shakeup
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its FY2026 earnings estimate for Verizon and kept a Hold rating, suggesting only modest near-term earnings improvement. MarketBeat analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is expected to report earnings on Friday, which keeps investors focused on whether the restructuring and broadband growth can offset slower revenue trends. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (VZ) to Post Earnings on Friday
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts are cautioning that Verizon already trades at a premium relative to peers, which could limit upside if earnings growth disappoints. Trefis: VZ Earns Its Premium Over Peers. Now What?
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank also lowered its price target to $51.50, reflecting some skepticism about the pace of Verizon’s improvement. American Banking News: Verizon Communications NYSE: VZ Price Target Lowered to $51.50 at Scotiabank

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:VZ opened at $43.57 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average is $45.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $181.91 billion, a PE ratio of 10.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month 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 issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. The company'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. Research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.5%. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is 69.02%.

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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