Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $10.79 Million in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 214,900 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $10,788,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Verizon Communications by 111.7% during the 1st quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 20,980 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,053,000 after purchasing an additional 11,068 shares during the last quarter. KFG Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth about $223,000. Longview Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter valued at about $77,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter valued at about $115,091,000. Finally, Arta Finance Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 29.9% during the 1st quarter. Arta Finance Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,122 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $458,000 after purchasing an additional 2,102 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon remains a popular dividend stock, with investors still attracted to its roughly 6% yield and defensive profile. Why Johnson & Johnson, Altria, Verizon, and Other Safe Dividend Stocks Climbed Today
• Neutral Sentiment: Some market commentary continues to frame Verizon as a potential income play, with its high yield appealing to investors seeking stability rather than growth. Verizon Communications (VZ) Falls More Steeply Than Broader Market: What Investors Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s latest earnings were solid, with the company recently beating EPS estimates, which may help support the stock’s valuation over time.
• Negative Sentiment: S&P Dow Jones Indices said Verizon will be removed from the Dow Jones Industrial Average and replaced by Alphabet, reducing its visibility in the blue-chip benchmark. Alphabet Wins a Seat at the Dow
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also reacting to the fact that Verizon’s lower share price gave it only a small weighting in the price-weighted Dow, reinforcing concerns that the company has become less relevant to the index. Could Nike Get the Boot from the Dow? Why Berkshire Hathaway Might Take Its Place.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VZ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $46.07 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.83. The firm has a market cap of $192.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.24, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.