Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ is Northstar Financial Companies Inc.’s 9th Largest Position

Northstar Financial Companies Inc. grew its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 5.0% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 40,129 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 1,916 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications makes up approximately 2.0% of Northstar Financial Companies Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Northstar Financial Companies Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,820,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 51.1% in the 1st quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 115,702 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $5,248,000 after buying an additional 39,119 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth approximately $120,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 10.9% in the 1st quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 300,838 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $13,646,000 after buying an additional 29,529 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 52,821.4% in the 1st quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 14,818 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $673,000 after buying an additional 14,790 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Delta Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth approximately $218,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.7%

NYSE:VZ opened at $44.26 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $186.62 billion, a PE ratio of 10.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $37.58 and a 1-year high of $47.35. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $42.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.19.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 21st. The cell phone carrier reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.19 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $34.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.47 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 13.28% and a return on equity of 19.61%. The business’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.15 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.636-4.728 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 10th were issued a dividend of $0.6775 per share. This represents a $2.71 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VZ shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Arete Research upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.35.

Verizon Communications Profile

Verizon Communications Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and governmental entities worldwide. It operates in two segments, Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business).