5,082 Shares in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Purchased by Willis Johnson & Associates Inc.

Willis Johnson & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 5,082 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock, valued at approximately $213,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA increased its stake in Verizon Communications by 627.8% in the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 655 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares in the last quarter. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC boosted its position in Verizon Communications by 130.1% during the 4th quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 863 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 488 shares during the period. Finally, Vima LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 0.0 %

VZ opened at $41.12 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $40.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $40.13. Verizon Communications Inc. has a twelve month low of $30.14 and a twelve month high of $43.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $173.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.41.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 22nd. The cell phone carrier reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.03. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 20.41% and a net margin of 8.44%. The firm had revenue of $33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.20 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.59 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 10th will be issued a $0.665 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 10th. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.47%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 99.25%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VZ has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Verizon Communications from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Verizon Communications in a research report on Monday. They set a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Verizon Communications from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.14.

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).