Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC Buys 12,916 Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)

Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 9.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 145,570 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after acquiring an additional 12,916 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC's holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $5,821,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Verizon Communications in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc lifted its stake in Verizon Communications by 137.6% in the 3rd quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 777 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 69.6% during the fourth quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 780 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VZ has been the subject of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $47.50 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. DZ Bank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $40.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Argus raised shares of Verizon Communications to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Verizon Communications to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $46.08.

Verizon Communications Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE VZ traded up $0.56 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $43.05. 15,163,222 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 22,764,818. The stock has a market cap of $181.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.40, a PEG ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $39.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.59. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $37.58 and a 1-year high of $45.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by ($0.01). Verizon Communications had a net margin of 12.99% and a return on equity of 19.80%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th were issued a dividend of $0.6775 per share. This represents a $2.71 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.30%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.88, for a total transaction of $319,040.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 6,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $262,809.20. The trade was a 54.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 39,085 shares of company stock worth $1,582,995. 0.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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).