Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Sold by Griffith & Werner Inc.

Griffith & Werner Inc. decreased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 18.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 115,649 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 26,117 shares during the period. Verizon Communications accounts for approximately 2.9% of Griffith & Werner Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Griffith & Werner Inc.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $5,806,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VZ. Demars Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth about $242,000. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% during the first quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,042 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 334.8% during the 1st quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC now owns 22,422 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,126,000 after buying an additional 17,265 shares during the last quarter. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA now owns 798,733 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $40,096,000 after purchasing an additional 5,047 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PCB Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. PCB Capital LLC now owns 25,255 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,268,000 after buying an additional 1,058 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo assigned Verizon an equal weight rating with a $43 price target, which is slightly above recent trading levels and suggests limited downside from current prices. Benzinga coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays kept an equal weight view and only modestly cut its target to $45, indicating analysts still see some fair value in the stock despite the pullback. Benzinga coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Verizon’s high-yield dividend appeal and argued the stock may still look attractive to income investors after its decline. 3 High-Yield Dividends That Pay You Soon (But You Must Act Quickly)
• Neutral Sentiment: BT Group and Verizon’s new 50:50 global enterprise joint venture is being watched as a possible boost to cash flow, but investors are still waiting to see the financial impact. BT–Verizon Joint Venture article
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon continues to be viewed as a value stock after its pullback, with commentary noting broadband gains, AI initiatives, and convergence strategy could support longer-term growth. Verizon Stock Underperforms Industry in a Year: Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo and other analysts flagged Starlink as a new competitive threat, raising concerns about pressure on Verizon’s fixed wireless and postpaid growth. SpaceX's Starlink Puts Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile Under the Microscope
• Negative Sentiment: Several articles noted Verizon has underperformed peers and the broader industry over the past year, reinforcing the market’s cautious view. Zacks coverage

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on VZ. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised shares of Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $50.28.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $42.47 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $46.29 and a 200-day moving average of $45.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68. The firm has a market cap of $177.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.36, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.26.

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 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 analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm 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 6.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is currently 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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