Vontobel Holding Ltd. Buys 207,198 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its Verizon stake by 12.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 207,198 additional shares and lifting its position to 1,829,935 shares worth about $74.5 million.
• Verizon posted solid quarterly results, with EPS of $1.28 beating estimates, while revenue rose 2.7% year over year. The company also set FY2026 guidance at 4.950–4.990 EPS.
• The stock remains attractive to income-focused investors: Verizon declared a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 5.9%, and analysts currently rate the shares a Moderate Buy.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 12.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,829,935 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 207,198 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $74,533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the fourth quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary remain constructive on Verizon’s valuation, with several notes calling it inexpensive relative to its cash flow, earnings power, and dividend profile. Verizon: Steady, Cheap, And Still Standing
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon highlighted new AI-powered disaster-response tools, including “Digital Twin” network modeling, satellite connectivity, and mobile 5G assets, which could support network resilience and reinforce its infrastructure advantage. Verizon’s AI Disaster Tools Highlight Network Resilience And Valuation Gap
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment has also been helped by upbeat pieces describing Verizon as a defensive stock with income potential, including mentions of its raised guidance, postpaid subscriber momentum, and fiber expansion after the Frontier deal. Verizon: A Unique Opportunity In An Expensive Market
• Neutral Sentiment: An insider sold about 80% of her shares in a roughly $3 million transaction, which can draw attention but does not necessarily signal a change in Verizon’s business outlook. 1 Verizon Insider Sells 80% of Her Stock in $3 Million Deal. For Everyone Else, VZ Is a Good Buy Now.
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly trimmed its FY2027 earnings estimate for Verizon, but the change was minimal and the firm kept a Hold rating. Verizon Communications Inc. research note
• Neutral Sentiment: Some recent market updates noted Verizon outperforming a weaker broader market session, reinforcing the stock’s defensive character rather than pointing to a major company-specific catalyst. Verizon Communications (VZ) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts

Verizon Communications Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $48.10 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 firm has a market capitalization of $200.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.73, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $47.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.47. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.Verizon Communications's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on VZ. Barclays upped 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. Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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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