1,268,272 Shares in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Bought by SEB Asset Management AB

SEB Asset Management AB bought a new position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,268,272 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $63,667,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 12,374,198 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $621,185,000 after acquiring an additional 820,100 shares during the period. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. now owns 592,575 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $29,747,000 after purchasing an additional 20,033 shares during the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 85.4% during the 1st quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 158,131 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $7,938,000 after purchasing an additional 72,849 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 942.3% during the 1st quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 914,764 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $46,013,000 after purchasing an additional 826,999 shares during the period. Finally, Spartan Wealth Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth about $2,595,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on VZ shares. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Scotiabank cut their target price on Verizon Communications from $54.50 to $51.50 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.09.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ opened at $43.57 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $181.91 billion, a PE ratio of 10.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $45.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.07. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. Verizon Communications’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.02%.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is moving to sell 274 company-owned retail stores to franchisees and cut roughly 3,000 jobs, a restructuring that could lower operating costs and improve margins over time. Reuters: Verizon to shed 274 stores, lay off another 500 corporate employees
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction has been favorable to the cost-reset story, with articles noting VZ rose as investors responded to the store shakeup and expense reduction plans. Yahoo Finance: VZ Stock Rises — Verizon Moves To Slash Costs With Major Store Shakeup
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its FY2026 earnings estimate for Verizon and kept a Hold rating, suggesting only modest near-term earnings improvement. MarketBeat analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is expected to report earnings on Friday, which keeps investors focused on whether the restructuring and broadband growth can offset slower revenue trends. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (VZ) to Post Earnings on Friday
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts are cautioning that Verizon already trades at a premium relative to peers, which could limit upside if earnings growth disappoints. Trefis: VZ Earns Its Premium Over Peers. Now What?
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank also lowered its price target to $51.50, reflecting some skepticism about the pace of Verizon’s improvement. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Lowered to $51.50 at Scotiabank

Verizon Communications Company 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.