Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Stock: Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Cuts Holdings

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer reduced its Verizon stake by 23.9% in the third quarter, selling 655,645 shares and retaining 2.09 million shares valued at approximately $95.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 62.06% of Verizon.
• Verizon reported quarterly EPS of $1.31, exceeding the $1.27 consensus, while revenue increased 1.5% year over year to $34.31 billion. The company also declared a $0.7075 quarterly dividend, representing a 6.3% annualized yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with the stock carrying an average “Hold” rating and a $51.05 average price target versus its $44.81 opening price. CEO Kyle Malady also sold 1,100 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich cut its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,087,594 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 655,645 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned 0.05% of Verizon Communications worth $95,798,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cornerstone Capital Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 25,156 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 127.0% in the 2nd quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 184,170 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $7,798,000 after acquiring an additional 103,046 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 30.6% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 5,718,859 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $287,081,000 after purchasing an additional 1,339,580 shares during the period. Quantitative Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,577,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 9.7% in the 2nd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 3,553,629 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $150,461,000 after purchasing an additional 315,546 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $44.81 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $186.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.68 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $47.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.73.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 26th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.77 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.78% and a return on equity of 19.75%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.21 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VZ shares. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Moffett Nathanson raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group reduced their price target on Verizon Communications from $55.00 to $52.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.05.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.00, for a total value of $47,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 98,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,251,238. The trade was a 1.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 11,000 shares of company stock valued at $516,373. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Better earnings and higher guidance: Verizon reported quarterly adjusted EPS of $1.31, above the $1.27 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 1.5% year over year. Growth in postpaid phone additions and broadband, lower promotional spending and margin expansion helped support an increase to the company’s 2026 outlook. Verizon raises 2026 guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Income appeal remains strong: Verizon’s dividend yield is above 6%, the company has raised its payout for 20 consecutive years, and dividends consumed approximately 49% of recent free cash flow. This supports the view that the payout is financially sustainable despite Verizon’s substantial debt load. Verizon dividend analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade and supplier investment: Freedom Broker upgraded VZ from “hold” to “buy” and raised its price target to $55. Separately, Verizon announced a $5 billion, five-year commitment to U.S. small-business suppliers, which could strengthen procurement relationships and support its network expansion ecosystem. Freedom Broker upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: SpaceX competition remains a long-term issue: Verizon CEO Dan Schulman said a fully competitive SpaceX wireless network could take years and require enormous investment. Verizon remains open to a Starlink partnership, but not one that would enable direct competition through Verizon’s infrastructure. Verizon CEO on Starlink partnership
• Negative Sentiment: Countervailing concerns: Several firms, including Barclays, Daiwa, Goldman Sachs and TD Cowen, lowered their price targets. Investors are also watching reports of declining phone upgrades, while CEO Kyle Malady’s recurring Rule 10b5-1 stock sales may weigh modestly on sentiment. Verizon phone upgrade trend

Verizon Communications Company Profile

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless communications, broadband, and digital connectivity services. Through its consumer business, Verizon offers mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and other connected devices, home internet, fixed wireless access, and fiber-optic broadband services under the Fios brand.

Verizon also serves businesses, government agencies, and other organizations with wireless connectivity, private networks, internet and data services, managed communications, cloud and security solutions, and Internet of Things services.

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