Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) traded up 3.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $46.85 and last traded at $46.78. Approximately 22,628,589 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 20% from the average session volume of 28,320,996 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.36.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Freedom Capital upgraded Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Scotiabank raised Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Dbs Bank cut Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Stock Up 3.1%
Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The company had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.
Verizon Communications Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders 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 (DPR) is presently 69.02%.
Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications
Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,080,810,000 after buying an additional 7,461,335 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,747,930,000 after buying an additional 5,851,715 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,168,080,000 after acquiring an additional 867,694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 15.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 62,101,021 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $3,117,471,000 after acquiring an additional 8,289,877 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
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.
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