Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Position Lifted by Yoder Wealth Management Inc.

Yoder Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 4.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,006 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the quarter. Yoder Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 81.0% during the 1st quarter. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. now owns 543 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Bulwark Capital Corp bought a new position in Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 71.8% during the 1st quarter. Cherry Tree Wealth Management LLC now owns 584 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, 1 North Wealth Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $49.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.53.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:VZ opened at $43.68 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $184.17 billion, a PE ratio of 10.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $43.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $43.36. Verizon Communications Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $37.58 and a fifty-two week high of $47.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 21st. The cell phone carrier reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $34.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.47 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 13.28% and a return on equity of 19.61%. Verizon Communications’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.15 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.636-4.728 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.69 per share. This represents a $2.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 63.17%.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of communications, technology, information, and entertainment products and services to consumers, businesses, and governmental entities worldwide. It operates in two segments, Verizon Consumer Group (Consumer) and Verizon Business Group (Business).