Kera Capital Partners Inc. Buys Shares of 22,809 Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Kera Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 22,809 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $1,002,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bulwark Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Advantage Trust Co grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 549.5% in the second quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 591 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. 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 buying an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 739.5% during the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares during the period. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VZ. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Verizon Communications from $56.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. BNP Paribas Exane cut Verizon Communications from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $44.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded Verizon Communications from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.50 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.47.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NYSE VZ opened at $39.01 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $164.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.33, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $40.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.84. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $37.83 and a 12 month high of $47.35.

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

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be given a $0.69 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 12th. This represents a $2.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.1%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 58.97%.

Key Headlines Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: FCC revises phone-unlocking rule, potentially reducing Verizon’s fraud-related losses and recurring costs — a direct operational tailwind that should help margins. FCC revises Verizon phone unlocking rules after significant fraud issues
• Positive Sentiment: Regional press coverage also highlights the FCC change as material relief for Verizon’s handset fraud exposure and cost recovery. Verizon gets relief as FCC revises phone unlocking rule
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment appears to be improving on steadier growth and strong cash flows; consensus price targets imply upside versus current levels, providing support for the stock. Analyst Sentiment on Verizon Communications (VZ) Improves Amid Steadier Growth and Defensible Cash Flows
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend-focused pieces highlight Verizon’s high yield and defensive income profile, which can attract income investors and underpin the share price in uncertain markets. Here’s How Many Shares of Verizon Communications You’d Need for $1,000 in Yearly Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is featured in dividend roundups (e.g., Dogs of the Dow lists), reinforcing its appeal to long-term income investors. The Dogs of the Dow: 10 Downtrodden Dividends Paying Out Up to 6.8%
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional investors own roughly 68% of VZ, which can stabilize trading but also concentrate selling/ buying pressure when institutions rebalance. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is largely controlled by institutional shareholders who own 68% of the company
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon underperformed peers in Tuesday trading, which can signal sector rotation or short‑term sentiment weakness relative to competitors. Verizon Communications Inc. stock underperforms Tuesday when compared to competitors
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank trimmed its VZ price target (from $51 to $48) and kept a Sector Perform rating, citing intensifying wireless promotions — a sign of competitive pressure that could weigh on near‑term revenue/margins. Scotiabank Trims Verizon (VZ) Price Target as Wireless Promotions Intensify

Verizon Communications Profile

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.