Valley Wealth Managers Inc. Has $29.75 Million Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 3.5% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 592,575 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,033 shares during the period. Verizon Communications makes up approximately 1.9% of Valley Wealth Managers Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Valley Wealth Managers Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $29,747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VZ. AIA Group Ltd grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 85.4% during the first quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 158,131 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $7,938,000 after purchasing an additional 72,849 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 942.3% in the first quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 914,764 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $46,013,000 after purchasing an additional 826,999 shares in the last quarter. Spartan Wealth Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications in the first quarter worth $2,595,000. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 2.6% in the first quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 49,298 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $2,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,259 shares during the period. Finally, Aviance Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.2% during the first quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 44,045 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $2,211,000 after purchasing an additional 1,376 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of VZ stock opened at $43.57 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $45.67 and a 200-day moving average of $46.07. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68. The company has a market capitalization of $181.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 69.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VZ. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.50 to $51.50 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Verizon Communications in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.09.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is moving to sell 274 company-owned retail stores to franchisees and cut roughly 3,000 jobs, a restructuring that could lower operating costs and improve margins over time. Reuters: Verizon to shed 274 stores, lay off another 500 corporate employees
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction has been favorable to the cost-reset story, with articles noting VZ rose as investors responded to the store shakeup and expense reduction plans. Yahoo Finance: VZ Stock Rises — Verizon Moves To Slash Costs With Major Store Shakeup
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its FY2026 earnings estimate for Verizon and kept a Hold rating, suggesting only modest near-term earnings improvement. MarketBeat analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is expected to report earnings on Friday, which keeps investors focused on whether the restructuring and broadband growth can offset slower revenue trends. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (VZ) to Post Earnings on Friday
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts are cautioning that Verizon already trades at a premium relative to peers, which could limit upside if earnings growth disappoints. Trefis: VZ Earns Its Premium Over Peers. Now What?
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank also lowered its price target to $51.50, reflecting some skepticism about the pace of Verizon’s improvement. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Lowered to $51.50 at Scotiabank

Verizon Communications 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.