Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS Takes Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 17,744 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $891,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VZ. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after purchasing an additional 7,461,335 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,747,930,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851,715 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,168,080,000 after purchasing an additional 867,694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,357,158,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several recent pieces frame Verizon as a value stock, highlighting its relatively low valuation and dividend appeal for income-focused investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts cited FIFA-related network demand and stronger usage trends as potential near-term catalysts ahead of second-quarter earnings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is preparing for heavy network traffic around the first-ever World Cup halftime show, which reinforces its network scale but is not clearly a direct earnings driver yet. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC lowered its price target on Verizon to $46 from $48 and kept a “sector perform” rating, signaling cautious sentiment rather than a major change in the thesis.
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon plans to cut about 3,000 jobs and sell 274 stores to franchisees, underscoring ongoing restructuring and raising questions about growth and margins. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Another report said Verizon will sell 274 stores and cut 500 office jobs, adding to concerns that management is leaning on cost reductions rather than clear revenue acceleration. Article Title

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ stock opened at $43.76 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $182.71 billion, a PE ratio of 10.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The business has a 50 day moving average of $45.51 and a 200-day moving average of $46.15. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.5%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VZ. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Freedom Capital upgraded Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.03.

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.