Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS Invests $891,000 in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 17,744 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $891,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. HORAN Wealth LLC boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 0.8% during the first quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 88,643 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,350,000 after acquiring an additional 735 shares during the last quarter. DJE Kapital AG raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 99.4% in the 1st quarter. DJE Kapital AG now owns 3,328,343 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $166,912,000 after acquiring an additional 1,659,523 shares in the last quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 89.3% in the 1st quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,599 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $130,000 after acquiring an additional 1,226 shares in the last quarter. Atlantic Family Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 21.2% in the 1st quarter. Atlantic Family Wealth LLC now owns 7,411 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $372,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294 shares during the period. Finally, Convergence Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 37,401 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $1,878,000 after purchasing an additional 2,082 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several recent pieces frame Verizon as a value stock, highlighting its relatively low valuation and dividend appeal for income-focused investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts cited FIFA-related network demand and stronger usage trends as potential near-term catalysts ahead of second-quarter earnings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon is preparing for heavy network traffic around the first-ever World Cup halftime show, which reinforces its network scale but is not clearly a direct earnings driver yet. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC lowered its price target on Verizon to $46 from $48 and kept a “sector perform” rating, signaling cautious sentiment rather than a major change in the thesis.
• Negative Sentiment: Verizon plans to cut about 3,000 jobs and sell 274 stores to franchisees, underscoring ongoing restructuring and raising questions about growth and margins. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Another report said Verizon will sell 274 stores and cut 500 office jobs, adding to concerns that management is leaning on cost reductions rather than clear revenue acceleration. Article Title

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ opened at $43.76 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $45.51 and a 200-day moving average of $46.15. The company has a market cap of $182.71 billion, a PE ratio of 10.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.26. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.39 and a one 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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.98 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued 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 6.5%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is currently 69.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Dbs Bank cut Verizon Communications from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Verizon Communications in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $43.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $54.50 to $51.50 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.03.

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.