Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. Has $5.88 Million Stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 75.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 147,000 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after acquiring an additional 63,000 shares during the quarter. Verizon Communications accounts for about 1.7% of Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $5,879,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VZ. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 27.7% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 222,366 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $8,892,000 after buying an additional 48,294 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the third quarter valued at about $3,376,000. Burney Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 30.4% during the fourth quarter. Burney Co. now owns 186,621 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $7,463,000 after purchasing an additional 43,472 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 1,934.5% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,080,015 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $48,503,000 after purchasing an additional 1,026,930 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,333,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

VZ stock traded up $0.28 on Friday, hitting $42.77. The company had a trading volume of 18,532,100 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,809,768. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 12-month low of $37.58 and a 12-month high of $45.36. The stock has a market cap of $180.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 0.45. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $39.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.59.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 12.99%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 10th were given a dividend of $0.6775 per share. This represents a $2.71 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is currently 65.46%.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 11,085 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.88, for a total transaction of $453,154.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,590 shares in the company, valued at approximately $596,439.20. The trade was a 43.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 39,085 shares of company stock worth $1,582,995 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VZ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Wolfe Research increased their target price on Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group upped their price target on Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $40.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $46.08.

Verizon Communications Profile

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).