Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Stock Position Decreased by Heathbridge Capital Management Ltd.

Heathbridge Capital Management Ltd. reduced its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 1.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 478,600 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 6,100 shares during the period. Verizon Communications accounts for 8.3% of Heathbridge Capital Management Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Heathbridge Capital Management Ltd.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $20,709,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 81.0% during the 1st quarter. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. now owns 543 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Bulwark Capital Corp bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 71.8% during the 1st quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 584 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, 1 North Wealth Services LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Verizon Communications from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Arete Research raised Verizon Communications to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $47.63.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $41.44 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $174.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.64. The business's 50 day moving average price is $43.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.32. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $37.58 and a fifty-two week high of $47.35.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The cell phone carrier reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $34.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.47 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 13.28%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.15 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.636-4.728 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be given a dividend of $0.69 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. This is an increase from Verizon Communications's previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is presently 63.17%.

Verizon Communications Company Profile

Verizon Communications Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and governmental entities worldwide. It operates in two segments, Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business).

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