Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp Has $2.32 Million Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp reduced its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 53,695 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 1,168 shares during the period. Verizon Communications comprises about 1.2% of Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $2,323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of VZ. Bulwark Capital Corp acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. 1 North Wealth Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ opened at $40.56 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $170.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $43.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $37.58 and a 12-month high of $47.35.

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

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be given a $0.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $2.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.8%. This is an increase from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 64.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VZ shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered Verizon Communications from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Arete Research raised Verizon Communications to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” 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 given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.63.

Verizon Communications Company 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).