Sei Investments Co. Grows Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 30.6% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,718,859 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 1,339,580 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $287,081,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VZ. Econ Financial Services Corp increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,184,000 after acquiring an additional 14,862 shares during the last quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd raised its position in Verizon Communications by 4.6% during the first quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 713,156 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $35,790,000 after purchasing an additional 31,354 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 2,197,366 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $89,499,000 after purchasing an additional 639,380 shares during the last quarter. Clarity Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 697.0% in the 4th quarter. Clarity Financial LLC now owns 471,127 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $19,189,000 after purchasing an additional 412,018 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 2,382,975 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $97,059,000 after purchasing an additional 316,854 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon launched the Gizmo Watch 4 for families, a child-safety-focused wearable that could help deepen its connected devices ecosystem and add incremental service revenue. Verizon (VZ) Launches Gizmo Watch 4 For Families Focused On Child Safety
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is offering preorders for Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 lineup and new Galaxy wearables, which may support device upgrades and customer retention through attractive financing and bundle deals. Samsung’s next-generation Z Fold meets simplicity & value on Verizon
• Positive Sentiment: Some coverage continues to frame Verizon as an income stock worth holding, with investors drawn to its high dividend yield and defensive cash-flow profile. Retire on Dividends Alone: The Super-High-Yield Stocks Boomers Are Buying and Never Selling
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are mixed ahead of Verizon’s Q2 earnings, with bullish comments about valuation and FIFA-related momentum offset by concerns about 5G spending, competition, and discounting. Should You Buy, Sell or Hold Verizon Stock Before Q2 Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is shrinking its retail footprint by selling 274 stores and cutting 500 office jobs, part of a broader restructuring that may improve efficiency but also signals pressure in the core business. Verizon To Sell 274 Stores, Cut 500 Office Jobs In Restructuring
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reportedly issued a pessimistic forecast for Verizon, reinforcing concerns that earnings and growth expectations may be under pressure heading into results. Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon’s planned cuts of 3,000 jobs and the handoff of 274 stores to franchisees highlight a significant restructuring effort, which can raise investor worries about demand, margins, and business stability. Verizon Is Cutting 3,000 Jobs and Handing 274 Stores to Franchisees Right Before July 24 Earnings. Is the 6.5% Dividend Still Safe?

Analyst Ratings Changes

VZ has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays cut their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Freedom Capital upgraded Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.03.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $44.29 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. The company has a market cap of $184.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.80, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.26. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $45.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $46.18.

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

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

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.