White Knight Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 12,803 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

White Knight Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 55.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,736 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,803 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications makes up approximately 1.1% of White Knight Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. White Knight Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,456,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth about $2,357,158,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 31.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 31,584,162 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,286,423,000 after purchasing an additional 7,509,055 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 222,951,399 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $9,080,810,000 after purchasing an additional 7,461,335 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 116,570,816 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,747,930,000 after purchasing an additional 5,851,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 1.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 5,497,598 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VZ. Scotiabank upgraded Verizon Communications from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $50.25 to $54.50 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Dbs Bank downgraded Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $50.59.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $45.44 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.64. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $38.39 and a 52 week high of $51.68. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $46.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $45.66. The company has a market capitalization of $189.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.24.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.07. The company 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 quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.19 earnings per share. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

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

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.