Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Stake Lowered by Leonteq Securities AG

Leonteq Securities AG reduced its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 53.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,333 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 65,613 shares during the period. Leonteq Securities AG's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $2,878,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VZ. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 63.1% during the first quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 1,828,588 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $91,795,000 after acquiring an additional 707,275 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 67.5% in the first quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 130,387 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $6,545,000 after purchasing an additional 52,526 shares in the last quarter. Sharp Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the first quarter valued at about $207,000. Prasad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the first quarter valued at about $201,000. Finally, Blue Capital Inc. increased its position in Verizon Communications by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Blue Capital Inc. now owns 8,119 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VZ shares. Freedom Capital raised Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Dbs Bank downgraded Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup raised their price objective 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 1.4%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $42.57 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The company's fifty day moving average price is $46.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.93. 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 company has a market capitalization of $177.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.38, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.02%.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced a new $4 billion joint venture with BT to expand global connectivity services for enterprise customers, giving it exposure to cloud, AI, and compliance-related demand across more than 180 countries. Verizon Forms $4 Billion BT Venture For Global Enterprise Customers
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Verizon’s upcoming second-quarter earnings report to show a single-digit increase in profit, which supports the case that the company’s core business remains stable and profitable. What to Expect From Verizon Communications' Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon continues to appeal to income investors because of its long dividend-growth record, with 19 straight years of dividend increases reinforcing its defensive, high-yield profile. Better High-Yield Dividend Stock: Verizon or AT&T?
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon was recently dropped from the Dow Jones Industrial Average and replaced by Alphabet, a headline that may affect sentiment but does not directly change the company’s underlying operations. Better High-Yield Dividend Stock: Verizon or AT&T?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry coverage on Starlink and SpaceX is keeping investors focused on longer-term wireless competition, but those threats still face major capacity and infrastructure hurdles before they materially challenge Verizon’s core network business. Starlink Dominates Internet From Space. Can It Disrupt AT&T and Verizon on the Ground?
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon warned that ongoing transformation efforts will create Q2 charges, including $350 million to $450 million in severance costs and $200 million to $300 million in asset-rationalization charges, which could pressure reported results. Verizon Sees Severance Charge from Headcount Reductions
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent commentary says Verizon looks inexpensive but still faces weak execution and competitive pressure, suggesting investors are not fully convinced the recent weakness is a buying opportunity yet. Verizon Stock Looks Cheap On Earnings But Weak On Execution

About Verizon Communications

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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