Zions Bancorporation National Association UT Acquires 25,780 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Key Points

• Zions Bancorporation increased its Verizon holdings by 14.7% in the second quarter, purchasing 25,780 additional shares for a total of 201,665 shares valued at approximately $8.54 million.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious outlook: Verizon has a consensus “Hold” rating from 21 analysts, with an average price target of $50.84.
• Verizon reported quarterly EPS of $1.30, beating estimates of $1.27, while revenue fell 0.7% year over year to $34.25 billion. The company also offers an annualized dividend of $2.83 per share, representing a 5.8% yield.

Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 14.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 201,665 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 25,780 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications makes up approximately 0.5% of Zions Bancorporation National Association UT's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $8,538,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Robinswood Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VZ has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Freedom Capital upgraded Verizon Communications to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $50.84.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $48.63 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.25. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $47.17.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The firm had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.22 EPS. The business's revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is currently 73.70%.

Verizon Communications 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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