Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund raised its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Free Report) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 977,898 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 37,367 shares during the period. Verizon Communications accounts for 0.5% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $39,830,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Blake Schutter Theil Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,305 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Triton Wealth Management PLLC raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Triton Wealth Management PLLC now owns 9,257 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 9,788 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $399,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 14,891 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $607,000 after buying an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its position in Verizon Communications by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 27,471 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,119,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research firms recently issued reports on VZ. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Dbs Bank cut shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.
Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications
Here are the key news stories impacting Verizon Communications this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s shares have been rising alongside a broader market pullback, suggesting investors are favoring the stock’s defensive characteristics and income appeal. Verizon Communications (VZ) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage is emphasizing Verizon’s fiber expansion and its potential to benefit from rising AI, cloud, and data-center connectivity demand, which supports the long-term growth case for VZ. Can Verizon’s Fiber Expansion Strategy Benefit From Rising AI Demand?
- Positive Sentiment: Verizon continues to be framed as a compelling dividend stock for income-focused investors, which can attract buyers seeking stable cash flow and relatively low volatility. 3 Dividend Stocks Built for Retirement to Buy in June
- Neutral Sentiment: Several comparison articles pitted Verizon against AT&T, T-Mobile, and AST SpaceMobile, keeping the stock in focus but not adding a clear new catalyst by themselves. VZ vs. ASTS: Which Connectivity Stock is the Better Buy?
- Neutral Sentiment: Verizon has also seen increased investor attention online, which can reflect growing interest but does not necessarily signal a fundamental change. Investors Heavily Search Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ): Here is What You Need to Know
Verizon Communications Price Performance
NYSE VZ opened at $46.95 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $196.06 billion, a PE ratio of 11.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.41.
Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.
Verizon Communications Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date 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.
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