Vantus Wealth LLC Takes $519,000 Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Vantus Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 12,731 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $519,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 916.0% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 18,939 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $771,000 after purchasing an additional 17,075 shares during the period. COFG Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth about $300,000. Sage Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth approximately $385,000. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 193,571 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $7,884,000 after purchasing an additional 3,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Easterly Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 31.8% during the fourth quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 424,414 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $17,286,000 after purchasing an additional 102,360 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.71 on Tuesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one year high of $51.68. The company has a market cap of $199.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.64, a PEG ratio of 1.14 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $47.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.16.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VZ. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Citigroup increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.

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.