Ashford Capital Management Inc. Acquires New Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Ashford Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 29,770 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,494,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 173.0% in the 4th quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares during the period. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.30, ahead of the $1.27 consensus estimate. Lower customer churn, reduced device-subsidy costs, and stronger broadband additions supported expectations for improved earnings and cash flow. VZ Q2 Earnings Call Signals Faster Growth From Churn Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 financial and free-cash-flow outlook after stronger subscriber trends and operating performance. The company’s robust free cash flow also continues to provide substantial coverage for its dividend, supporting Verizon’s appeal to income-focused investors. Is VZ Stock a Buy After Verizon Raises Its 2026 Financial Outlook?
• Positive Sentiment: A wireless subscriber beat, broadband growth, and expanding 5G and fiber services are strengthening Verizon’s longer-term growth profile beyond its traditional wireless business. Verizon Communications Rides a Wireless Subscriber Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s more than $1 billion dark-fiber agreement with Alphabet highlights possible demand from AI infrastructure and data connectivity. Analysts also raised price targets, including TD Cowen to $56 and Scotiabank to $52.50. Verizon May Be an AI Infrastructure Stock Hiding in Plain Sight
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Barclays, and RBC maintained neutral or equal-weight ratings despite raising targets, while several targets remain near the current trading level.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue fell year over year and missed estimates by roughly $1 billion, indicating that cost controls and subscriber gains have not yet translated into broad-based top-line growth. Verizon Structural Problems Persist
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to monitor heavy debt, substantial dividend commitments, competitive pressure, and execution risks associated with Verizon’s fiber and AI investments.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VZ shares. BNP Paribas Exane cut their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.97.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of VZ opened at $47.35 on Tuesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The stock has a market cap of $197.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $45.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.29.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. Verizon Communications’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5 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 issued a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.70%.

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.