Griffith & Werner Inc. Sells 26,117 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Griffith & Werner Inc. lessened its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 18.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 115,649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 26,117 shares during the period. Verizon Communications comprises about 2.9% of Griffith & Werner Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Griffith & Werner Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $5,806,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,357,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 31.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 31,584,162 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,286,423,000 after purchasing an additional 7,509,055 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after acquiring an additional 7,461,335 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,747,930,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Verizon Communications by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $15,453,058,000 after acquiring an additional 5,497,598 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo assigned Verizon an equal weight rating with a $43 price target, which is slightly above recent trading levels and suggests limited downside from current prices. Benzinga coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays kept an equal weight view and only modestly cut its target to $45, indicating analysts still see some fair value in the stock despite the pullback. Benzinga coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Verizon’s high-yield dividend appeal and argued the stock may still look attractive to income investors after its decline. 3 High-Yield Dividends That Pay You Soon (But You Must Act Quickly)
• Neutral Sentiment: BT Group and Verizon’s new 50:50 global enterprise joint venture is being watched as a possible boost to cash flow, but investors are still waiting to see the financial impact. BT–Verizon Joint Venture article
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon continues to be viewed as a value stock after its pullback, with commentary noting broadband gains, AI initiatives, and convergence strategy could support longer-term growth. Verizon Stock Underperforms Industry in a Year: Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo and other analysts flagged Starlink as a new competitive threat, raising concerns about pressure on Verizon’s fixed wireless and postpaid growth. SpaceX’s Starlink Puts Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile Under the Microscope
• Negative Sentiment: Several articles noted Verizon has underperformed peers and the broader industry over the past year, reinforcing the market’s cautious view. Zacks coverage

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $42.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $46.29 and a 200-day moving average of $45.98. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The company has a market cap of $177.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.26.

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

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on VZ shares. Citigroup increased their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Dbs Bank downgraded Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.28.

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.