Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 95,282,309 shares, a decline of 16.0% from the February 26th total of 113,473,590 shares. Currently, 2.3% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 24,795,109 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.8 days.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Court win vs. T?Mobile reduces a high?profile competitor marketing attack that promised big switching savings, lowering a potential churn/cost risk for Verizon. Verizon wins injunction blocking T?Mobile ad campaign
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators point to operational fixes under new CEO Dan Schulman — big cost cuts, the Frontier deal close and a focus on convergence — supporting the dividend and cash flow profile that investors prize. This reinforces the defensive / income thesis for VZ. Verizon remains a top dividend stock
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target (from $43 to $47) and flagged that Q1 should show progress on Verizon’s subscriber turnaround plan — a sign that some sell?side research sees improving operational momentum. Barclays: Q1 to show subscriber turnaround progress
• Neutral Sentiment: Near?term catalyst: Verizon will report Q1 results on April 27 (webcast at 8:30 ET). Earnings will be the next major data point to confirm subscriber and margin progress. Verizon to report earnings April 27
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain mixed: some shops (e.g., Citi) have bumped targets into the mid?$50s while the median target is nearer $49 — the dispersion shows differing views on sustainability of the operational turnaround and pricing power. Price target updates for VZ
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon has raised the price on a previously heavily discounted offer — a revenue move that could impair customer acquisition or retention if it pushes price?sensitive consumers away, complicating the subscriber turnaround. Verizon raises price on discounted offer
• Negative Sentiment: Even after Barclays’ PT raise, some outlets note that the $47 target implies downside from the current share level — a reminder that not all analysts are bullish and that valuation upside is uneven. Barclays raises PT to $47 (Benzinga)

Insider Activity at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total value of $9,922,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. This represents a 57.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Mary-Lee Stillwell sold 8,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $428,450.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,189,100. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. TruNorth Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 95.3% in the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 739.5% in the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VZ has been the subject of several recent research reports. Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $50.25 to $54.50 in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.56.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

NYSE VZ traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $50.15. The company had a trading volume of 30,500,125 shares, compared to its average volume of 32,264,543. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $47.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.31. The company has a market capitalization of $211.52 billion, a PE ratio of 12.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Verizon Communications has a twelve month low of $38.39 and a twelve month high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The company had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.10 EPS. Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 68.15%.

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.