Rempart Asset Management Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Rempart Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 4.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 343,160 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,375 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications accounts for approximately 2.8% of Rempart Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Rempart Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $15,082,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VZ. Schmidt P J Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 7.5% during the 3rd quarter. Schmidt P J Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,510 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $594,000 after buying an additional 941 shares in the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 9.5% during the third quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 133,469 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $5,866,000 after acquiring an additional 11,539 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 8.9% during the third quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,273 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $539,000 after acquiring an additional 1,004 shares during the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Verizon Communications by 3.4% during the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 135,657 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $5,962,000 after purchasing an additional 4,445 shares during the period. Finally, Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 62,923 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $2,765,000 after purchasing an additional 2,014 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $39.84 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $167.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.34. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $40.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.86. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $37.74 and a one year high of $47.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

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

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

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

More Verizon Communications News

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 Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas lowered Verizon Communications from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Verizon Communications from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.47.

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.