Walter Public Investments Inc. Buys Shares of 110,800 Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Walter Public Investments Inc. bought a new position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 110,800 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $5,562,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. RKL Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the first quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,338 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 2,765 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. boosted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 35,023 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,426,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the period. Finally, Triton Wealth Management PLLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 9,257 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Freedom Capital upgraded Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Dbs Bank cut Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Barclays lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $42.57 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68. The company has a market capitalization of $177.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.02%.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to frame Verizon as an attractive value stock, with Zacks citing favorable style-score characteristics that may appeal to value-focused investors. Here’s Why Verizon Communications (VZ) is a Strong Value Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s dividend profile is still a key support for the shares, with comparisons to AT&T emphasizing Verizon’s long record of dividend increases and its appeal to income investors. Better High-Yield Dividend Stock: Verizon or AT&T?
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon and BT Group announced a $4 billion international enterprise joint venture, which could expand Verizon’s global business services reach and improve growth prospects. Is Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) Stock Positioned for Growth After $4B International Enterprise Partnership?
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is getting more trading attention from retail investors, which may reflect renewed interest but does not by itself change the company’s fundamentals. Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street expects Verizon’s upcoming quarterly earnings to show modest profit growth, making the next report an important catalyst but not a clear surprise yet. What to Expect From Verizon Communications’ Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage about Starlink’s push into mobile service raises longer-term competitive pressure on Verizon and other wireless carriers, even though major infrastructure hurdles remain. Starlink Dominates Internet From Space. Can It Disrupt AT&T and Verizon on the Ground?

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.