Townsquare Capital LLC Has $5.42 Million Stock Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Townsquare Capital LLC cut its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 133,127 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 10,990 shares during the period. Verizon Communications comprises about 1.2% of Townsquare Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $5,422,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avanza Fonder AB raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $13,521,000 after purchasing an additional 17,495 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 14.0% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $16,665,000 after purchasing an additional 46,699 shares during the period. Econ Financial Services Corp raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 23.5% in the fourth quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $3,184,000 after purchasing an additional 14,862 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 18.4% during the third quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $6,196,000 after acquiring an additional 21,915 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.8% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,667,402 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $161,182,000 after acquiring an additional 99,400 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 2.6%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $46.95 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $196.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $45.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.02%.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s shares have been rising alongside a broader market pullback, suggesting investors are favoring the stock’s defensive characteristics and income appeal. Verizon Communications (VZ) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage is emphasizing Verizon’s fiber expansion and its potential to benefit from rising AI, cloud, and data-center connectivity demand, which supports the long-term growth case for VZ. Can Verizon’s Fiber Expansion Strategy Benefit From Rising AI Demand?
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon continues to be framed as a compelling dividend stock for income-focused investors, which can attract buyers seeking stable cash flow and relatively low volatility. 3 Dividend Stocks Built for Retirement to Buy in June
• Neutral Sentiment: Several comparison articles pitted Verizon against AT&T, T-Mobile, and AST SpaceMobile, keeping the stock in focus but not adding a clear new catalyst by themselves. VZ vs. ASTS: Which Connectivity Stock is the Better Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon has also seen increased investor attention online, which can reflect growing interest but does not necessarily signal a fundamental change. Investors Heavily Search Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ): Here is What You Need to Know

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.