Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Shares Down 1.4% - Should You Sell?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) traded down 1.4% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $43.44 and last traded at $43.42. 5,486,511 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 25,487,563 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.04.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. DZ Bank upgraded Verizon Communications from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $40.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $45.00 price objective (up from $42.00) on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Verizon Communications from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $48.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $47.35.

Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.2 %

The stock has a market cap of $180.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.63. The stock's fifty day moving average is $43.59 and its 200 day moving average is $42.00.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The cell phone carrier reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.04. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 12.99%. The firm had revenue of $33.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $33.31 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.6775 dividend. This represents a $2.71 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.46%.

Insider Transactions at Verizon Communications

In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Vandana Venkatesh sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.79, for a total transaction of $437,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $633,159.61. This trade represents a 40.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kyle Malady sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.88, for a total transaction of $319,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 6,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at $262,809.20. The trade was a 54.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 49,085 shares of company stock worth $2,020,895. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Park Place Capital Corp grew its holdings in Verizon Communications by 11.9% in the first quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 16,280 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $738,000 after purchasing an additional 1,729 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 38.1% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 107,403 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $4,872,000 after purchasing an additional 29,607 shares in the last quarter. Hedges Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Verizon Communications by 337.2% during the 1st quarter. Hedges Asset Management LLC now owns 259,050 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $11,751,000 after buying an additional 199,800 shares during the last quarter. First Merchants Corp increased its position in Verizon Communications by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. First Merchants Corp now owns 28,967 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $1,314,000 after buying an additional 4,192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holistic Planning LLC raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 11.0% in the first quarter. Holistic Planning LLC now owns 16,485 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $748,000 after buying an additional 1,628 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

Verizon Communications Company 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).