Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Shares Acquired by Janus Henderson Group PLC

Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 45.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,453,075 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,080,244 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $144,875,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA grew its position in Verizon Communications by 627.8% in the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 655 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 565 shares during the last quarter. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications by 130.1% in the fourth quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 863 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vima LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 1.3 %

VZ stock traded up $0.54 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $40.58. The stock had a trading volume of 6,284,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,783,609. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $40.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market cap of $170.82 billion, a PE ratio of 15.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 0.41. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.14 and a 12-month high of $43.42.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 22nd. The cell phone carrier reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 20.10% and a net margin of 8.38%. The business had revenue of $32.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.05 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.21 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 10th will be issued a $0.665 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 10th. This represents a $2.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.55%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 99.25%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $45.50 to $46.50 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, July 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $42.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.68.

Verizon Communications Profile

Verizon Communications Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and governmental entities worldwide. It operates in two segments, Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business).