Principal Financial Group Inc. Raises Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 0.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,944,459 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 42,946 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $248,212,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the fourth quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 448 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VZ. Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.28.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Negative Sentiment: Verizon is reportedly planning another round of layoffs this Thursday as management targets $5 billion in operational budget cuts, raising concerns about execution and the need for cost reductions to support earnings. Verizon Plans New Round Of Layoffs
• Negative Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane cut its price target on Verizon to $44 from $46 and reiterated a neutral stance, suggesting limited near-term re-rating potential for the stock. BNP Paribas Exane lowers Verizon PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon has also been caught up in broader telecom sector worries tied to SpaceX/Starlink competition, which is pressuring sentiment across the group rather than reflecting a company-specific change in fundamentals.
• Positive Sentiment: Offsetting some of the pessimism, Verizon recently expanded into BMW connected cars and launched the Gizmo Watch 4, showing continued product and partnership activity in higher-growth connected services. Verizon Expands Into BMW Connected Cars And Launches Gizmo Watch 4

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of VZ stock opened at $42.44 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $45.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.05. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $177.19 billion, a PE ratio of 10.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

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

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

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

Verizon Communications Company 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.