Sienna Gestion Increases Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Sienna Gestion lifted its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 310,811 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 14,210 shares during the quarter. Sienna Gestion’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $12,587,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VZ. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 173.0% in the 4th quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Trading Down 2.1%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $47.11 on Tuesday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52-week low of $38.39 and a 52-week high of $51.68. The company has a market cap of $196.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 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 50-day simple moving average of $47.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.55.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on VZ shares. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Oppenheimer upped 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

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.