Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Short Interest Update

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 113,473,590 shares, a drop of 23.5% from the February 12th total of 148,344,833 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 26,623,513 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.3 days. Currently, 2.7% of the company’s stock are short sold. Currently, 2.7% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 26,623,513 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.3 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Joseph J. Russo sold 9,579 shares of the business’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 owned 44,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,739.60. The trade was a 17.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Hans Erik Vestberg sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 145,069 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,873.09. This trade represents a 57.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 218,148 shares of company stock worth $10,780,356. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VZ. World Investment Advisors lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 23.9% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 466,396 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $18,996,000 after acquiring an additional 89,826 shares in the last quarter. Winthrop Partners WNY LLC purchased a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at $1,056,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at $88,000. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at $293,000. Finally, Advisortrust Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth about $661,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Verizon Communications stock traded down $0.37 during trading on Monday, hitting $51.01. The stock had a trading volume of 20,014,690 shares, compared to its average volume of 24,378,138. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $45.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.81. Verizon Communications has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.67. The stock has a market cap of $215.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

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

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.7075 per share. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.5%. This is a boost from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 68.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the topic of several recent research reports. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $56.00 price target on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Monday, January 26th. Barclays initiated coverage on Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. Finally, Evercore raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.03.

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.