Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Stock Holdings Decreased by University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.

University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. decreased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 32.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 93,903 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 45,239 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $3,825,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VZ. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 5,497,598 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after buying an additional 7,461,335 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% during 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 acquiring an additional 5,851,715 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,357,158,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 2.1%

NYSE VZ opened at $47.11 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $47.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. The stock has a market cap of $196.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.49, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on VZ shares. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Scotiabank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

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.