Nordea Investment Management AB Sells 134,401 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Nordea Investment Management AB decreased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,599,828 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 134,401 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB owned about 0.20% of Verizon Communications worth $374,781,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,504,150,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 372,787,016 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $16,130,494,000 after buying an additional 4,615,075 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 208,213,255 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,009,388,000 after acquiring an additional 4,205,449 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 21.5% in the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $915,552,000 after buying an additional 3,743,892 shares during the period. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the second quarter worth $113,004,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: FCC rule change reduces Verizon’s liability for phone-unlocking fraud — the FCC revised a long-standing rule that required Verizon to unlock phones 60 days after activation; the agency says the old rule was costing Verizon hundreds of millions annually due to fraud, which should meaningfully improve margins and cash flow retention. FCC revises Verizon phone unlocking rules after significant fraud issues
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is improving — coverage notes steadier growth and defensible cash flows, with a consensus price target implying upside from current levels; growing analyst confidence supports the stock’s income/total-return case. Analyst Sentiment on Verizon Communications (VZ) Improves Amid Steadier Growth and Defensible Cash Flows
• Positive Sentiment: High-yield appeal remains — Verizon is being featured in dividend screens (e.g., “Dogs of the Dow”/high-yield lists), reinforcing interest from income-focused investors given its attractive yield relative to peers. That helps provide a demand floor for the shares. The Dogs of the Dow: 10 Downtrodden Dividends Paying Out Up to 6.8%
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank trimmed its price target on Verizon (from $51 to $48) and cited intensifying wireless promotions as a reason — this highlights near-term margin pressure and competitive risks that can weigh on sentiment and cap short-term upside despite the regulatory relief. Scotiabank Trims Verizon (VZ) Price Target as Wireless Promotions Intensify

Verizon Communications Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $39.84 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $167.99 billion, a PE ratio of 8.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.34. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.74 and a 1 year high of $47.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $40.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.86.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.02. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The business had revenue of $33.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be paid a $0.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on VZ. BNP Paribas downgraded Verizon Communications from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.47.

About Verizon Communications

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.