Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Holdings Boosted by PARK CIRCLE Co

PARK CIRCLE Co raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 24.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 171,340 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 34,135 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications makes up 6.0% of PARK CIRCLE Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. PARK CIRCLE Co’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $6,979,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,759,000 after buying an additional 16,704 shares during the last quarter. United Bank raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 11.5% in the second quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $339,000 after buying an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 312.0% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 23,639 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after buying an additional 17,901 shares during the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 17.2% in the second quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,121 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,779,000 after buying an additional 6,034 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.2% in the second quarter. Vivaldi Capital Management LP now owns 8,993 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Dbs Bank cut shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $50.59.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary remain constructive on Verizon’s valuation, with several notes calling it inexpensive relative to its cash flow, earnings power, and dividend profile. Verizon: Steady, Cheap, And Still Standing
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon highlighted new AI-powered disaster-response tools, including “Digital Twin” network modeling, satellite connectivity, and mobile 5G assets, which could support network resilience and reinforce its infrastructure advantage. Verizon’s AI Disaster Tools Highlight Network Resilience And Valuation Gap
• Positive Sentiment: Investor sentiment has also been helped by upbeat pieces describing Verizon as a defensive stock with income potential, including mentions of its raised guidance, postpaid subscriber momentum, and fiber expansion after the Frontier deal. Verizon: A Unique Opportunity In An Expensive Market
• Neutral Sentiment: An insider sold about 80% of her shares in a roughly $3 million transaction, which can draw attention but does not necessarily signal a change in Verizon’s business outlook. 1 Verizon Insider Sells 80% of Her Stock in $3 Million Deal. For Everyone Else, VZ Is a Good Buy Now.
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly trimmed its FY2027 earnings estimate for Verizon, but the change was minimal and the firm kept a Hold rating. Verizon Communications Inc. research note
• Neutral Sentiment: Some recent market updates noted Verizon outperforming a weaker broader market session, reinforcing the stock’s defensive character rather than pointing to a major company-specific catalyst. Verizon Communications (VZ) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Verizon Communications stock opened at $48.10 on Monday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68. The stock has a market cap of $200.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.73, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $47.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.02%.

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.