1,268,272 Shares in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Bought by SEB Asset Management AB

SEB Asset Management AB acquired a new position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,268,272 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $63,667,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Lam Group Inc. purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 173.0% during the 4th quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 707 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on VZ. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Verizon Communications to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.09.

Key Stories Impacting Verizon Communications

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon is moving to sell 274 company-owned retail stores to franchisees and cut roughly 3,000 jobs, a restructuring that could lower operating costs and improve margins over time. Reuters: Verizon to shed 274 stores, lay off another 500 corporate employees
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction has been favorable to the cost-reset story, with articles noting VZ rose as investors responded to the store shakeup and expense reduction plans. Yahoo Finance: VZ Stock Rises — Verizon Moves To Slash Costs With Major Store Shakeup
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its FY2026 earnings estimate for Verizon and kept a Hold rating, suggesting only modest near-term earnings improvement. MarketBeat analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is expected to report earnings on Friday, which keeps investors focused on whether the restructuring and broadband growth can offset slower revenue trends. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (VZ) to Post Earnings on Friday
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts are cautioning that Verizon already trades at a premium relative to peers, which could limit upside if earnings growth disappoints. Trefis: VZ Earns Its Premium Over Peers. Now What?
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank also lowered its price target to $51.50, reflecting some skepticism about the pace of Verizon’s improvement. American Banking News: Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Price Target Lowered to $51.50 at Scotiabank

Verizon Communications Stock Down 0.7%

VZ stock opened at $43.57 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $181.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.63, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $38.39 and a 1-year high of $51.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $45.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.07. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.46% and a return on equity of 19.25%. The company had revenue of $34.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.82 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.19 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.950-4.990 EPS. Research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $0.7075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.5%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.02%.

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.