M Holdings Securities Inc. Invests $2.75 Million in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

M Holdings Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 67,447 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $2,747,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Verizon Communications by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 379,402,347 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $15,453,058,000 after purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 215,490,064 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,470,788,000 after purchasing an additional 7,276,809 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Verizon Communications by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,168,080,000 after purchasing an additional 867,694 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth about $2,357,158,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Verizon Communications by 1.2% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 45,265,695 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,989,427,000 after purchasing an additional 557,576 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

Shares of VZ opened at $46.95 on Thursday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68. The stock has a market cap of $196.06 billion, a PE ratio of 11.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.24. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.82 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.0%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 69.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on VZ. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Dbs Bank cut shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.59.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon’s shares have been rising alongside a broader market pullback, suggesting investors are favoring the stock’s defensive characteristics and income appeal. Verizon Communications (VZ) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage is emphasizing Verizon’s fiber expansion and its potential to benefit from rising AI, cloud, and data-center connectivity demand, which supports the long-term growth case for VZ. Can Verizon’s Fiber Expansion Strategy Benefit From Rising AI Demand?
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon continues to be framed as a compelling dividend stock for income-focused investors, which can attract buyers seeking stable cash flow and relatively low volatility. 3 Dividend Stocks Built for Retirement to Buy in June
• Neutral Sentiment: Several comparison articles pitted Verizon against AT&T, T-Mobile, and AST SpaceMobile, keeping the stock in focus but not adding a clear new catalyst by themselves. VZ vs. ASTS: Which Connectivity Stock is the Better Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon has also seen increased investor attention online, which can reflect growing interest but does not necessarily signal a fundamental change. Investors Heavily Search Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ): Here is What You Need to Know

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.