Liberty One Investment Management LLC Boosts Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Liberty One Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 70.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 294,787 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 121,400 shares during the period. Verizon Communications accounts for 0.7% of Liberty One Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Liberty One Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $12,946,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the second quarter worth about $2,504,150,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 372,787,016 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,130,494,000 after purchasing an additional 4,615,075 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 208,213,255 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,009,388,000 after buying an additional 4,205,449 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 21.5% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 21,159,040 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $915,552,000 after buying an additional 3,743,892 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the second quarter worth approximately $113,004,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $39.84 on Tuesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $37.74 and a fifty-two week high of $47.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $40.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.86. The company has a market cap of $167.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.51, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.34.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $33.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, January 12th will be paid a $0.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $2.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.9%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 58.97%.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: FCC rule change reduces Verizon’s liability for phone-unlocking fraud — the FCC revised a long-standing rule that required Verizon to unlock phones 60 days after activation; the agency says the old rule was costing Verizon hundreds of millions annually due to fraud, which should meaningfully improve margins and cash flow retention. FCC revises Verizon phone unlocking rules after significant fraud issues
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is improving — coverage notes steadier growth and defensible cash flows, with a consensus price target implying upside from current levels; growing analyst confidence supports the stock’s income/total-return case. Analyst Sentiment on Verizon Communications (VZ) Improves Amid Steadier Growth and Defensible Cash Flows
• Positive Sentiment: High-yield appeal remains — Verizon is being featured in dividend screens (e.g., “Dogs of the Dow”/high-yield lists), reinforcing interest from income-focused investors given its attractive yield relative to peers. That helps provide a demand floor for the shares. The Dogs of the Dow: 10 Downtrodden Dividends Paying Out Up to 6.8%
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank trimmed its price target on Verizon (from $51 to $48) and cited intensifying wireless promotions as a reason — this highlights near-term margin pressure and competitive risks that can weigh on sentiment and cap short-term upside despite the regulatory relief. Scotiabank Trims Verizon (VZ) Price Target as Wireless Promotions Intensify

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VZ. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Verizon Communications from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $44.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.50 to $51.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.47.

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.