Loudon Investment Management LLC Reduces Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Loudon Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 76.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,147 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 25,893 shares during the period. Loudon Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $358,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 16,704 shares during the last quarter. United Bank lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 11.5% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 9.0% during the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 54,752 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $2,369,000 after purchasing an additional 4,540 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 55.0% during the second quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 31,561 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 11,205 shares during the period. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 6.4% in the second quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 140,903 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $6,097,000 after purchasing an additional 8,457 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ stock opened at $51.01 on Tuesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.67. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $45.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $42.86. The company has a market capitalization of $215.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.60, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 68.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on VZ. Evercore raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Williams Trading set a $54.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.03.

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In related news, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.