Renaissance Technologies LLC Has $85.96 Million Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,712,393 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after buying an additional 23,100 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $85,962,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted its position in Verizon Communications by 490.0% in the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 173.0% in the fourth quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon beat Q2 adjusted EPS estimates at $1.30 versus $1.27 expected, helped by record EBITDA margins and stronger cash generation. Verizon earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its full-year 2026 guidance for adjusted EPS, mobility and broadband service revenue, and free cash flow, signaling management confidence in the outlook. Reuters guidance article
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon posted better-than-expected subscriber momentum, including 184,000 postpaid phone additions and more than 550,000 total mobility and broadband net adds, showing the core business is improving. Verizon press release
• Positive Sentiment: Free cash flow rose 24.4% and Verizon expanded its full-year buyback target to as much as $4.5 billion, both supportive of shareholder returns. Verizon press release
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon also announced a more than $1 billion dark fiber deal with Google for AI data centers, suggesting potential upside from infrastructure demand and additional AI-related contracts. Reuters Google deal article
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue came in below Wall Street expectations and was slightly lower year over year, so top-line pressure is still a concern. Verizon earnings report
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity was unusually heavy, with traders buying more call options than normal, which may reflect speculative bullish positioning rather than fundamental news. GuruFocus earnings call highlights

Verizon Communications Price Performance

NYSE:VZ opened at $46.34 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.39 and a 12-month high of $51.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $193.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.26. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $45.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $34.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $35.16 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.22 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.990-5.040 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 69.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. Freedom Capital upgraded Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.