Calamos Advisors LLC Acquires 15,345 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Calamos Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 2.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 754,034 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 15,345 shares during the quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $37,853,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth about $2,357,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Verizon Communications by 31.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 31,584,162 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,286,423,000 after purchasing an additional 7,509,055 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after acquiring an additional 7,461,335 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,747,930,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $15,453,058,000 after buying an additional 5,497,598 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on VZ shares. Dbs Bank lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.28.

Verizon Communications News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon launched the new Gizmo Watch 4, a kid-friendly smartwatch with safety features like removal detection and real-time location tracking, which could help expand the company’s Verizon Family ecosystem and add wireless subscribers. Meet the Gizmo Watch 4: Verizon’s new kid-friendly smartwatch
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced it will power new BMW Group vehicles in the U.S. with 5G Standalone, broadening its automotive connectivity business and potentially creating a new growth avenue in connected-car services. Can Verizon’s KDDI Tie-Up for Latest BMW Vehicles Boost Its Profits?
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting Verizon as a defensive, high-yield dividend stock and “cash machine” may be supporting demand from income-focused investors seeking stability ahead of market volatility. The Cash Machine The Market Put On Sale: VZ
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching Verizon’s earnings report next week, which could become the main near-term catalyst for the stock depending on subscriber growth, pricing trends, and guidance. Should You Buy Verizon Communications Stock Before July 24?
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon also spotlighted its Small Business Super Pitch finalists, a brand and community-relations initiative that is positive for image but likely limited in immediate financial impact. Four small businesses to compete in finals of Verizon’s Small Business Super Pitch

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $42.64 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $46.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.03. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68. The company has a market capitalization of $178.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.26.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.6%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.02%.

Verizon Communications 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.