HB Wealth Management LLC Boosts Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

HB Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 10.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 208,337 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,392 shares during the quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $10,459,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% during the first quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC now owns 60,676 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $3,046,000 after buying an additional 3,048 shares during the period. Osborne Partners Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the first quarter worth about $215,000. Leelyn Smith LLC lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 4.7% in the first quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC now owns 72,585 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,644,000 after buying an additional 3,250 shares during the period. Baer Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $638,000. Finally, First Dallas Securities Inc. boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. First Dallas Securities Inc. now owns 24,815 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,246,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Key Verizon Communications News

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?

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Barclays increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.0%

VZ stock opened at $42.57 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $46.56 and a 200 day moving average of $45.91. The firm has a market cap of $177.77 billion, a PE ratio of 10.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

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

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

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.