Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Stock Bought by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Free Report) by 14.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,132,700 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 406,529 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned approximately 0.08% of Verizon Communications worth $143,697,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC now owns 3,568 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $151,000 after buying an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Manchester Financial Inc. now owns 34,924 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,479,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 32.7% in the first quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 888 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.2% during the first quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 18,421 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $925,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 37.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 841 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.00, for a total transaction of $47,300.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 98,866 shares in the company, valued at $4,251,238. This represents a 1.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 11,000 shares of company stock valued at $516,373 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Verizon Communications News

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

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ stock opened at $45.78 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $46.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.90. The company has a market capitalization of $189.74 billion, a PE ratio of 11.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.28. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.68 and a 52-week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 26th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.77 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.78% and a return on equity of 19.75%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. Analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th were issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 9th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 72.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on VZ shares. Freedom Broker raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $53.00 to $55.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Verizon Communications from $51.00 to $47.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.05.

View Our Latest Research Report on Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Profile

(Free Report)

Verizon Communications Inc is a telecommunications company that provides wireless and wireline communications services in the United States. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and other connected devices, broadband internet, and related services for consumers, businesses, and government customers.

The company operates a nationwide wireless network and provides home internet through fiber-optic service, including Fios, and fixed wireless access. For business and public-sector customers, Verizon offers connectivity, networking, security, and Internet of Things services.

Verizon was formed in 2000 through the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE.

See Also

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

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