Short Interest in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Grows By 34.8%

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 148,344,833 shares, a growth of 34.8% from the January 29th total of 110,059,370 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 44,617,715 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.3 days. Approximately 3.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Approximately 3.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 44,617,715 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.3 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In related news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $429,905.52. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,976,739.60. This represents a 17.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.61, for a total transaction of $9,922,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 145,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,873.09. The trade was a 57.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 95.3% in the third quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 625 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% in the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its position in Verizon Communications by 739.5% during the 3rd quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VZ shares. William Blair upgraded Verizon Communications to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Williams Trading set a $54.00 price objective on Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Verizon Communications from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Monday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $49.02.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of VZ stock traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $50.04. 23,719,362 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 34,875,176. Verizon Communications has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $50.47. The firm has a market cap of $211.05 billion, a PE ratio of 12.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.33. The company’s 50 day moving average is $43.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $36.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.20 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 12.43%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-4.950 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.88%.

Verizon Communications Company 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.