Gateway Wealth Partners LLC Has $2.45 Million Stock Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Gateway Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 309.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 48,734 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,842 shares during the quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $2,446,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the period. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 173.0% in the 4th quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday. 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 research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.97.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ stock opened at $47.35 on Tuesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market cap of $197.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.26. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $45.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.29.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors 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 yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.70%.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.30, ahead of the $1.27 consensus estimate. Lower customer churn, reduced device-subsidy costs, and stronger broadband additions supported expectations for improved earnings and cash flow. VZ Q2 Earnings Call Signals Faster Growth From Churn Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 financial and free-cash-flow outlook after stronger subscriber trends and operating performance. The company’s robust free cash flow also continues to provide substantial coverage for its dividend, supporting Verizon’s appeal to income-focused investors. Is VZ Stock a Buy After Verizon Raises Its 2026 Financial Outlook?
• Positive Sentiment: A wireless subscriber beat, broadband growth, and expanding 5G and fiber services are strengthening Verizon’s longer-term growth profile beyond its traditional wireless business. Verizon Communications Rides a Wireless Subscriber Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s more than $1 billion dark-fiber agreement with Alphabet highlights possible demand from AI infrastructure and data connectivity. Analysts also raised price targets, including TD Cowen to $56 and Scotiabank to $52.50. Verizon May Be an AI Infrastructure Stock Hiding in Plain Sight
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Barclays, and RBC maintained neutral or equal-weight ratings despite raising targets, while several targets remain near the current trading level.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue fell year over year and missed estimates by roughly $1 billion, indicating that cost controls and subscriber gains have not yet translated into broad-based top-line growth. Verizon Structural Problems Persist
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to monitor heavy debt, substantial dividend commitments, competitive pressure, and execution risks associated with Verizon’s fiber and AI investments.

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.