First National Bank of Omaha Acquires New Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

First National Bank of Omaha bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 63,246 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $2,780,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VZ. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 24.7% in the 3rd quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 176,454 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $7,755,000 after acquiring an additional 34,931 shares in the last quarter. 626 Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 9.4% during the third quarter. 626 Financial LLC now owns 7,867 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $346,000 after buying an additional 677 shares during the last quarter. Maridea Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. Maridea Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,477 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 1,249 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 13.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 7,132 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $313,000 after buying an additional 849 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WealthCare Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 67.4% in the third quarter. WealthCare Investment Partners LLC now owns 18,605 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $815,000 after purchasing an additional 7,494 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This trade represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VZ. KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, January 26th. William Blair raised Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.02.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Consumer business momentum: Postpaid phone subscriber strength remains a primary growth driver for Verizon’s consumer segment, supporting near-term revenue and EPS outlooks and helping underpin the dividend. Verizon Rides on Strength in Consumer Segment: Will it Sustain?
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend appeal: Recent dividend increases have kept income-focused investors interested in VZ versus other blue-chips, providing support to the share price despite cyclical headwinds. Verizon vs Johnson & Johnson: Which Dividend Hike Winner Is the Better Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Short-term momentum and investor attention: Several market write-ups note growing investor interest and momentum in VZ, which could attract flows while fundamentals remain stable. Verizon Momentum Builds
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor event scheduled: Verizon will present at the Barclays Communications & Content Symposium on Feb. 24 — a chance to hear management on strategy and guidance but not an immediate catalyst until new detail is provided. Verizon to speak at Barclays Communications and Content Symposium on February 24
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased investor interest noted by coverage sites — useful for liquidity and attention but not decisively bullish or bearish on fundamentals. Verizon is Attracting Investor Attention
• Negative Sentiment: Leadership change in Consumer: Reports that the consumer CEO has exited and an interim arrangement is in place raise execution questions around Verizon’s transformation and could unsettle investors who worry about continuity. Did Verizon’s Consumer CEO Exit and Interim Shift Just Reframe Its Transformation Story
• Negative Sentiment: Capital-return ambiguity: Analysis flags uncertainty around Verizon’s $55B buyback/dividend plan, noting trade-offs between flexibility and risk that could limit future buybacks or force reassessment if cash priorities change. Uncertainty Clouds Verizon’s $55 Billion Capital Return Plan
• Negative Sentiment: Relative underperformance: MarketWatch notes Verizon underperformed peers on Wednesday, which can pressure the stock as investors rotate toward better-performing telecom/content names. Verizon underperforms competitors

Verizon Communications Stock Down 1.9%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $48.01 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $202.42 billion, a PE ratio of 11.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.33. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $42.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.05. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $50.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. This is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 68.15%.

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.