Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Sold by Liontrust Investment Partners LLP

Key Points

• Liontrust Investment Partners cut its Verizon stake by 52.1% in the second quarter, selling 138,453 shares and retaining 127,255 shares valued at approximately $5.39 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds still own 62.06% of Verizon stock.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious outlook, with nine Buy ratings and twelve Hold ratings producing a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $50.84.
• Verizon exceeded quarterly earnings expectations with EPS of $1.30 versus the $1.27 estimate, although revenue declined 0.7% year over year to $34.25 billion. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.7075, representing a 5.6% annualized yield.

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP lowered its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 52.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 127,255 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 138,453 shares during the period. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $5,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. USS Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 713,156 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $35,790,000 after purchasing an additional 31,354 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Capital Inc. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 8.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Capital Inc. now owns 317,284 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $13,434,000 after buying an additional 25,156 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 2,382,975 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $97,059,000 after buying an additional 316,854 shares in the last quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 127.0% during the 2nd quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 184,170 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $7,798,000 after buying an additional 103,046 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keudell Morrison Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at $2,171,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Freedom Capital raised Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $50.84.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $50.10 on Tuesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $46.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.25.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. Verizon Communications's revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.06, for a total value of $55,066.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 108,766 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,444,825.96. This trade represents a 1.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

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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