Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Trading Down 1.2% – Here’s What Happened

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)’s share price dropped 1.2% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $40.39 and last traded at $40.4060. Approximately 18,502,486 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 19% from the average daily volume of 22,753,932 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.88.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on VZ. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.50 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $49.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.31.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $170.37 billion, a PE ratio of 8.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.19.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.02. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The firm had revenue of $33.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.69 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $2.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.8%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is presently 58.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VZ. Bulwark Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Advantage Trust Co grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 549.5% during the second quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 591 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 95.3% during the 3rd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. 1 North Wealth Services LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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).