Bridges Investment Management Inc. Trims Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Bridges Investment Management Inc. lowered its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 25.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,490 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 16,677 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,975,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 2.7%

NYSE VZ opened at $46.56 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68. 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 stock 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 firm’s 50 day moving average price is $47.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.96 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Dbs Bank downgraded Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $50.59.

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

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.