Ibex Wealth Advisors Purchases 22,694 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Ibex Wealth Advisors lifted its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 7.5% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 326,322 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,694 shares during the period. Verizon Communications accounts for 1.5% of Ibex Wealth Advisors’ holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Ibex Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $16,381,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VZ. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new position in Verizon Communications during the first quarter worth $28,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 490.0% during the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 649 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 539 shares during the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the fourth quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon announced a new U.S. connectivity role for BMW Group vehicles through its KDDI partnership, expanding its automotive IoT and connected-vehicle business and potentially adding high-margin enterprise revenue. Verizon named U.S. connectivity provider for newly manufactured BMW Group vehicles through KDDI partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs winning a mandate to manage $40 billion in Verizon retirement assets signals continued confidence in Verizon as a major corporate client and does not suggest any immediate operating weakness. Goldman Sachs wins $70 billion in asset management deals with Verizon, Lockheed Martin
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Verizon’s strong earnings-beat track record and said it has the ingredients for another earnings surprise, which could support the stock if upcoming results are solid. Will Verizon (VZ) Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo and Barclays both maintained cautious “equal weight” views on Verizon, with Barclays trimming its price target, reflecting limited near-term upside even though targets remain above the current share price. Verizon Communications had its price target lowered by Barclays PLC
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports warned that SpaceX’s Starlink is intensifying competitive pressure on major U.S. telecom carriers, including Verizon, which could weigh on wireless and fixed wireless growth expectations. SpaceX’s Starlink Puts Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile Under the Microscope

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.6%

VZ opened at $42.19 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12 month low of $38.39 and a 12 month high of $51.68. The company has a market cap of $176.16 billion, a PE ratio of 10.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The company has a 50 day moving average of $46.19 and a 200 day moving average of $46.00.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $34.44 billion for 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $0.7075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VZ shares. Citigroup increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Dbs Bank cut shares of Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.28.

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.