Kathmere Capital Management LLC Raises Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 18.4% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 92,715 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,416 shares during the quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $4,654,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.7% in the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 288,730 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $14,494,000 after buying an additional 12,936 shares during the period. DGS Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 31.5% during the 1st quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 37,049 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,860,000 after acquiring an additional 8,872 shares during the period. Ascentis Independent Advisors grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 101.2% during the 1st quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors now owns 91,372 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,587,000 after acquiring an additional 45,962 shares during the period. LVZ Inc. increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. LVZ Inc. now owns 25,815 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,296,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth approximately $231,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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?

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of VZ opened at $42.57 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $177.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.95. 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 posted its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.19 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. As a group, equities analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.6%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.59.

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.