Pacer Advisors Inc. Has $419.43 Million Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,297,784 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 307,658 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications accounts for 0.6% of Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Pacer Advisors Inc. owned 0.24% of Verizon Communications worth $419,429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VZ. Norges Bank bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth $2,357,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 7,509,055 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $9,080,810,000 after acquiring an additional 7,461,335 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,747,930,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on VZ shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of VZ opened at $45.44 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The firm has a market cap of $189.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.08, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.24. The business’s fifty day moving average is $46.97 and its 200-day moving average is $45.66.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%.Verizon Communications’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

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 of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.2%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 69.02%.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon unveiled a customer offer that removes two major fees, part of a broader loyalty push that also eliminates activation/upgrade charges. That could help improve retention and ease pressure from elevated wireless churn, potentially supporting revenue stability. Verizon adds new offer that removes 2 major fees for customers
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon completed the expiration and final results of several debt exchange/tender and consent solicitations, a balance-sheet management move that is likely routine rather than a major near-term earnings driver. Verizon announces expiration and final results of its private exchange offers and consent solicitations for 11 series of notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon also announced final results for tender offers and consent solicitations across multiple note series, which may modestly support financial flexibility but does not change the core operating outlook by itself. Verizon announces expiration and final results of its tender offers and consent solicitations for 20 series of Verizon and certain of its subsidiaries’ notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles noted that Verizon remains on investor watch lists because of its dividend yield and valuation, but these pieces were mostly commentary rather than new company-specific catalysts. Why Is Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Drawing Telecom Investor Attention?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent trading showed VZ underperforming the broader market, with investors still concerned about competitive pressure and churn in the wireless business. Verizon Communications (VZ) Falls More Steeply Than Broader Market: What Investors Need to Know

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.