First Nebraska Trust Co Invests $970,000 in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

First Nebraska Trust Co bought a new position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 19,321 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $970,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lam Group Inc. bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% in the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the fourth quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ stock opened at $46.88 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market cap of $195.77 billion, a PE ratio of 12.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a 50 day moving average of $45.32 and a 200-day moving average of $46.44. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.48% and a net margin of 11.64%.The business had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. Moffett Nathanson decreased their price target on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $49.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 20th. Barclays raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.84.

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.