Wealthfront Advisers LLC Raises Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its Verizon stake by 7.8% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 667,727 shares worth about $33.5 million.
• Verizon delivered mixed recent fundamentals: it beat quarterly EPS expectations at $1.28, but revenue came in slightly below estimates even as sales rose 2.7% year over year.
• The company continues to appeal to income investors with a quarterly dividend of $0.7075 per share, implying an annualized yield of about 6.6%, though analysts remain cautious overall with a consensus rating of “Hold.”

Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 7.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 667,727 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 48,463 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $33,520,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of VZ. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% in the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 173.0% in 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 period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: KeyCorp raised several of its Verizon earnings estimates for 2026 and 2027, including FY2027 EPS to $5.40 from $5.31, suggesting improved profit expectations for the wireless carrier.
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is drawing attention as a dividend stock, with multiple articles highlighting its nearly 7% yield and positioning it as a potential income play for investors seeking steady cash flow.
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is expanding into connected-car services through a BMW and KDDI partnership, which could support longer-term growth in 5G and IoT-related revenue. BMW XTRA: BMW Launches U.S. Connected Car Service With Verizon And KDDI
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and media coverage continue to frame Verizon as a value/income stock, with some pieces arguing the shares may be undervalued relative to earnings power and upcoming results.
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank cut Verizon’s price target to $51.50 from $54.50, signaling less upside than before despite keeping an outperform view.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern over SpaceX’s Starlink remains a drag on telecom stocks, with several reports noting that competition fears have pressured Verizon and peers.
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Verizon is preparing another round of layoffs and cost cuts may raise questions about growth and execution, even if the moves are aimed at improving efficiency.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $42.83 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. 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 cap of $178.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.26. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $45.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.07.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion for 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%.The company's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VZ has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a "moderate buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $43.00 price objective on the stock. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $50.09.

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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