Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ Stock Position Trimmed by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC decreased its position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 87.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,639 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 84,121 shares during the quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $534,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 105,984 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,861,000 after purchasing an additional 1,842 shares in the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 5.9% in the third quarter. Costello Asset Management INC now owns 45,416 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $2,083,000 after buying an additional 2,536 shares during the last quarter. Bfsg LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 0.7% during the third quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 108,263 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,966,000 after buying an additional 701 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 44,635 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $1,993,000 after buying an additional 5,081 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optimist Retirement Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 58,000 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $2,660,000 after acquiring an additional 1,453 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.00, for a total transaction of $47,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 98,866 shares in the company, valued at $4,251,238. This trade represents a 1.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,000 shares of company stock worth $516,373. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.6%

Verizon Communications stock opened at $46.35 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.63. Verizon Communications Inc. has a one year low of $38.68 and a one year high of $51.68. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $46.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $192.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.28.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 26th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.77 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.75% and a net margin of 11.78%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.21 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 5.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th were given a $0.7075 dividend. This represents a $2.83 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 9th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.19%.

More Verizon Communications News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Verizon added 406,000 postpaid phone subscribers in the third quarter, its strongest third quarter in five years, and raised its outlook for a third consecutive quarter. Those trends support the view that its growth story is gaining traction. Verizon Just Gained 11% in a Month
• Positive Sentiment: Verizon Business completed a large private 5G network deployment at Thames Freeport, serving logistics, port and manufacturing sites. The project could support enterprise growth and demonstrate Verizon’s ability to win complex business contracts. Verizon Business completes Thames Freeport private 5G deployment
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports revived speculation that SpaceX could pursue a large U.S. wireless operator, with Verizon mentioned as a possible target. No offer or deal has been announced, so this remains speculative rather than a confirmed catalyst. Verizon Lands Thames Freeport 5G Role as Takeover Talk Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: Verizon plans to redeem $1.75 billion of 4.125% notes on December 23, 2026. The announcement is a debt-management action; the article provides no indication of a material change to the company’s outlook. Verizon to redeem debt securities
• Negative Sentiment: Despite subscriber momentum and higher guidance, quarterly revenue missed analysts’ expectations, with lower equipment sales cited as a factor. Commentary also flags competition and rising debt as risks to the growth and dividend outlook. VZ Shares Rise 14.7% in a Year: What’s the Next Move for Investors?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on VZ. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $45.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $55.00 to $52.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $51.00 to $47.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.05.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc. is a telecommunications company that provides wireless and wireline communications services in the United States. Its offerings include mobile voice and data plans, smartphones and other connected devices, broadband internet, and related services for consumers, businesses, and government customers. The company operates a nationwide wireless network and provides home internet through fiber-optic service, including Fios, and fixed wireless access. For business and public-sector customers, Verizon offers connectivity, networking, security, and Internet of Things services.