Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Position Increased by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,228,041 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 1,442,853 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.31% of Verizon Communications worth $539,276,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 173.0% in the 4th quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $45.44 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $189.72 billion, a PE ratio of 11.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $46.92 and a 200-day moving average of $45.66. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68.

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

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Scotiabank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target 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 reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.59.

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.