Empowered Funds LLC Has $43.90 Million Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Empowered Funds LLC cut its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 19.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 874,460 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 212,328 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $43,898,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,357,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 31.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 31,584,162 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,286,423,000 after acquiring an additional 7,509,055 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after purchasing an additional 7,461,335 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,747,930,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851,715 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $47.35 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.29. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $197.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $34.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 11.64% and a return on equity of 19.48%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.70%.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.30, ahead of the $1.27 consensus estimate. Lower customer churn, reduced device-subsidy costs, and stronger broadband additions supported expectations for improved earnings and cash flow. VZ Q2 Earnings Call Signals Faster Growth From Churn Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 financial and free-cash-flow outlook after stronger subscriber trends and operating performance. The company’s robust free cash flow also continues to provide substantial coverage for its dividend, supporting Verizon’s appeal to income-focused investors. Is VZ Stock a Buy After Verizon Raises Its 2026 Financial Outlook?
• Positive Sentiment: A wireless subscriber beat, broadband growth, and expanding 5G and fiber services are strengthening Verizon’s longer-term growth profile beyond its traditional wireless business. Verizon Communications Rides a Wireless Subscriber Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s more than $1 billion dark-fiber agreement with Alphabet highlights possible demand from AI infrastructure and data connectivity. Analysts also raised price targets, including TD Cowen to $56 and Scotiabank to $52.50. Verizon May Be an AI Infrastructure Stock Hiding in Plain Sight
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Barclays, and RBC maintained neutral or equal-weight ratings despite raising targets, while several targets remain near the current trading level.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly revenue fell year over year and missed estimates by roughly $1 billion, indicating that cost controls and subscriber gains have not yet translated into broad-based top-line growth. Verizon Structural Problems Persist
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to monitor heavy debt, substantial dividend commitments, competitive pressure, and execution risks associated with Verizon’s fiber and AI investments.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on VZ shares. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Dbs Bank downgraded Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, April 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.97.

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.