St. James Investment Company LLC Invests $19.17 Million in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

St. James Investment Company LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZFree Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 470,750 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $19,174,000. Verizon Communications accounts for about 3.1% of St. James Investment Company LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Monetary Management Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 30,400 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Hughes Financial Services LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 5,035 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Hager Investment Management Services LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 26.2% during the 3rd quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC now owns 1,233 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 9,025 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ opened at $47.98 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $200.35 billion, a PE ratio of 11.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.35. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The company’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $428,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

  • Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced tender offers, exchange offers, and consent solicitations for multiple series of notes, a move that could help streamline debt, reduce financing complexity, and support long-term balance sheet management. Article Title
  • Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Verizon as a top-ranked growth stock and noted that the company continues to draw investor attention, which can reinforce the view that the stock remains attractive on valuation and fundamentals. Article Title
  • Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles focus on Verizon’s status as a watched name and on broader commentary about its investment story, suggesting steady market interest rather than a clear new catalyst. Article Title
  • Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s ongoing layoffs and AI-related restructuring may improve efficiency over time, but they also signal that management is still working through a major cost-reset and transition period. Article Title
  • Negative Sentiment: Market commentary flagged Verizon as one of the communication-services names most exposed to rising rates, since its dividend becomes less competitive versus Treasuries and investors may rotate away from telecom income stocks. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VZ. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price target on Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.59.

View Our Latest Analysis on VZ

Verizon Communications Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

See Also

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ)

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