Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Position Boosted by Harrell Investment Partners LLC

Harrell Investment Partners LLC increased its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 22.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 100,255 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,581 shares during the period. Harrell Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $4,245,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Robinswood Financial LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the first quarter worth $27,000. Lam Group Inc. bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the first quarter valued at $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 448 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.1%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.02 on Tuesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $195.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.24, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.25. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $45.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.81.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.03. The company 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%. Verizon Communications’s revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th were given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted 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, July 27th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $51.50 to $52.50 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.84.

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.