Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Short Interest Up 34.8% in February

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 148,344,833 shares, a growth of 34.8% from the January 29th total of 110,059,370 shares. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 44,617,715 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.3 days. Based on an average daily volume of 44,617,715 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.3 days. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on VZ. Evercore upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.25 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $49.02.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock valued at $10,780,356. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 61.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 43,986 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,759,000 after acquiring an additional 16,704 shares in the last quarter. United Bank boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 11.5% during the second quarter. United Bank now owns 7,843 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 806 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 141.6% in the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 36,139 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,564,000 after purchasing an additional 21,180 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 126,700 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $5,462,000 after purchasing an additional 5,227 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trail Ridge Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 12.1% during the 2nd quarter. Trail Ridge Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,703 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 941 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VZ traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $51.07. 14,534,946 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 34,294,871. Verizon Communications has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $43.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.45. The firm has a market cap of $215.40 billion, a PE ratio of 12.61, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.31.

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

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.5%. This is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend 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.