Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Shares Bought by Mediolanum International Funds Ltd

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 942.3% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 914,764 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 826,999 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $46,013,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Spartan Wealth Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter worth $2,595,000. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 49,298 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $2,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,259 shares during the period. Aviance Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 44,045 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $2,211,000 after purchasing an additional 1,376 shares in the last quarter. GatePass Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. GatePass Capital LLC now owns 9,293 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $467,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. Finally, German American Bancorp Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 101.9% in the first quarter. German American Bancorp Inc. now owns 10,467 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $525,000 after purchasing an additional 5,284 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $43.57 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $181.91 billion, a PE ratio of 10.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $45.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $46.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is moving to sell 274 company-owned retail stores to franchisees and cut roughly 3,000 jobs, a restructuring that could lower operating costs and improve margins over time. Reuters: Verizon to shed 274 stores, lay off another 500 corporate employees
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction has been favorable to the cost-reset story, with articles noting VZ rose as investors responded to the store shakeup and expense reduction plans. Yahoo Finance: VZ Stock Rises — Verizon Moves To Slash Costs With Major Store Shakeup
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its FY2026 earnings estimate for Verizon and kept a Hold rating, suggesting only modest near-term earnings improvement. MarketBeat analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is expected to report earnings on Friday, which keeps investors focused on whether the restructuring and broadband growth can offset slower revenue trends. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (VZ) to Post Earnings on Friday
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts are cautioning that Verizon already trades at a premium relative to peers, which could limit upside if earnings growth disappoints. Trefis: VZ Earns Its Premium Over Peers. Now What?
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank also lowered its price target to $51.50, reflecting some skepticism about the pace of Verizon’s improvement. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Lowered to $51.50 at Scotiabank

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on VZ. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.50 to $51.50 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. 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 report on Tuesday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.09.

Verizon Communications 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.