Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA Sells 10,873 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA lowered its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 9.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 105,937 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 10,873 shares during the quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $5,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% in the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares during the period. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the first quarter worth $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors increased its position in Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the fourth quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares during the period. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VZ has been the subject of a number of research reports. Freedom Capital raised shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 target price on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.03.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 5.7%

VZ opened at $46.34 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $38.39 and a fifty-two week high of $51.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $45.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.20. The company has a market capitalization of $193.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.22 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 69.02%.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon beat Q2 adjusted EPS estimates at $1.30 versus $1.27 expected, helped by record EBITDA margins and stronger cash generation. Verizon earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its full-year 2026 guidance for adjusted EPS, mobility and broadband service revenue, and free cash flow, signaling management confidence in the outlook. Reuters guidance article
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon posted better-than-expected subscriber momentum, including 184,000 postpaid phone additions and more than 550,000 total mobility and broadband net adds, showing the core business is improving. Verizon press release
• Positive Sentiment: Free cash flow rose 24.4% and Verizon expanded its full-year buyback target to as much as $4.5 billion, both supportive of shareholder returns. Verizon press release
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon also announced a more than $1 billion dark fiber deal with Google for AI data centers, suggesting potential upside from infrastructure demand and additional AI-related contracts. Reuters Google deal article
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue came in below Wall Street expectations and was slightly lower year over year, so top-line pressure is still a concern. Verizon earnings report
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity was unusually heavy, with traders buying more call options than normal, which may reflect speculative bullish positioning rather than fundamental news. GuruFocus earnings call highlights

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.