United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Sells 30,404 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 10.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 274,881 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 30,404 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $11,638,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VZ. Robinswood Financial LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lam Group Inc. bought a new position in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors lifted its holdings 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 last quarter. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $50.11 on Monday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.60. The company’s fifty day moving average is $45.91 and its 200-day moving average is $47.42. The company has a market capitalization of $208.20 billion, a PE ratio of 13.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.25.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $34.25 billion for 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 73.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.06, for a total transaction of $55,066.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 108,766 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,444,825.96. This trade represents a 1.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VZ. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Moffett Nathanson reduced their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.84.

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.