MidFirst Bank Buys New Position in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 70,225 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $2,860,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted 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 valued at $15,453,058,000 after acquiring an additional 5,497,598 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after acquiring an additional 7,461,335 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,747,930,000 after acquiring an additional 5,851,715 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 102,632,509 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $4,168,080,000 after acquiring an additional 867,694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,357,158,000. Institutional investors 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: Verizon unveiled a customer offer that removes two major fees, part of a broader loyalty push that also eliminates activation/upgrade charges. That could help improve retention and ease pressure from elevated wireless churn, potentially supporting revenue stability. Verizon adds new offer that removes 2 major fees for customers
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon completed the expiration and final results of several debt exchange/tender and consent solicitations, a balance-sheet management move that is likely routine rather than a major near-term earnings driver. Verizon announces expiration and final results of its private exchange offers and consent solicitations for 11 series of notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon also announced final results for tender offers and consent solicitations across multiple note series, which may modestly support financial flexibility but does not change the core operating outlook by itself. Verizon announces expiration and final results of its tender offers and consent solicitations for 20 series of Verizon and certain of its subsidiaries’ notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles noted that Verizon remains on investor watch lists because of its dividend yield and valuation, but these pieces were mostly commentary rather than new company-specific catalysts. Why Is Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Drawing Telecom Investor Attention?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent trading showed VZ underperforming the broader market, with investors still concerned about competitive pressure and churn in the wireless business. Verizon Communications (VZ) Falls More Steeply Than Broader Market: What Investors Need to Know

Verizon Communications Price Performance

VZ stock opened at $45.44 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The company’s 50-day moving average is $46.97 and its 200-day moving average is $45.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $189.72 billion, a PE ratio of 11.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.24. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $38.39 and a 1 year high of $51.68.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.25% and a net margin of 12.46%.The business had revenue of $34.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Dbs Bank lowered Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $50.59.

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.