Cibc World Market Inc. Boosts Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 15.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,382,975 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 316,854 shares during the quarter. Cibc World Market Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $97,059,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VZ. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 335,856 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $14,761,000 after acquiring an additional 13,787 shares during the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 331,962 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $13,521,000 after acquiring an additional 17,495 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 379,174 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $16,665,000 after acquiring an additional 46,699 shares during the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 23.5% in the 4th quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 78,172 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $3,184,000 after acquiring an additional 14,862 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 140,981 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $6,196,000 after acquiring an additional 21,915 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on VZ shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. Dbs Bank downgraded Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 2.7%

VZ stock opened at $46.56 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $194.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.36, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is actively managing its balance sheet by extending and updating tender offers and exchange offers for multiple series of notes, which could help optimize debt costs and improve financial flexibility over time. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Some investors continue to view Verizon as a relatively attractive dividend stock with a lower valuation compared with the broader market, supporting the case for income-focused buyers. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon’s latest earnings were mixed: EPS beat expectations, but revenue came in slightly below estimates, leaving sentiment balanced rather than clearly positive. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Operational commentary suggests Verizon is tightening in-store policies, which may be creating longer wait times and potentially frustrating customers at a time when service quality and retention matter more. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Rival T-Mobile is adding more free perks to fight churn, highlighting intense competition in wireless and raising concerns that Verizon may need to spend more to defend its subscriber base. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Market commentary also points to Verizon dipping more than the broader market, suggesting investors are cautious despite the company’s defensive profile. Article Title

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.