Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Stock Position Lifted by Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV

Key Points

• Nations Financial Group increased its Verizon stake by 18.5% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 143,106 shares valued at about $7.18 million.
• Verizon reported Q1 earnings of $1.28 per share, topping estimates, while revenue came in at $34.44 billion and rose 2.7% year over year. The company also reiterated FY 2026 EPS guidance of 4.950-4.990.
• Verizon declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 6.2%. Analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $50.59.

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 18.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 143,106 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after acquiring an additional 22,358 shares during the quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $7,184,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 2,765 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 35,023 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,426,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 9,257 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 9,788 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ stock opened at $45.44 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $189.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.08, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68. The stock's fifty day moving average is $46.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.66.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous 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, research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. One investment 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $50.59.

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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