TD Private Client Wealth LLC Decreases Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

TD Private Client Wealth LLC trimmed its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 19.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 221,336 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 53,383 shares during the quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $9,728,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Cadinha & Co. LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 2,916.8% in the second quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 347,716 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $15,046,000 after purchasing an additional 336,190 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 11.0% in the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 7,297,469 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $309,551,000 after buying an additional 722,559 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 378.7% during the 3rd quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 93,732 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,120,000 after acquiring an additional 74,151 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 555,785 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $24,427,000 after acquiring an additional 43,116 shares during the period. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.8% during the third quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 2,762,705 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $121,421,000 after acquiring an additional 151,100 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on VZ shares. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded Verizon Communications from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $44.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. BNP Paribas cut Verizon Communications from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.47.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $39.84 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $40.55 and a 200-day moving average of $41.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $167.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.51, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $37.74 and a 12 month high of $47.35.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.19 billion. Verizon Communications’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

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

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.