Quantitative Investment Management LLC Makes New $1.58 Million Investment in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Quantitative Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 37,252 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,577,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the second quarter valued at about $46,286,000. Flputnam Investment Management Co. grew its position in Verizon Communications by 0.5% in the second quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 234,096 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,912,000 after acquiring an additional 1,064 shares in the last quarter. Bluefin Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications in the second quarter valued at approximately $707,000. Capital Advisors Inc. OK raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.8% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 2,035,492 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $86,183,000 after purchasing an additional 16,492 shares during the period. Finally, Delta Asset Management LLC TN lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.4% during the second quarter. Delta Asset Management LLC TN now owns 70,344 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $2,978,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:VZ opened at $50.26 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $208.82 billion, a PE ratio of 13.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.26. The business’s 50 day moving average is $46.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%.The business had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.22 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Moffett Nathanson dropped their target price on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Freedom Capital upgraded Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.97.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The shares were 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 owned 108,766 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,444,825.96. This represents a 1.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.