Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) Trading 1.1% Higher - Should You Buy?

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) rose 1.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $44.17 and last traded at $44.13. Approximately 3,036,381 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 18,109,110 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.65.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VZ. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $46.00 to $42.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. DZ Bank raised shares of Verizon Communications from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $40.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Verizon Communications in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Verizon Communications has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $46.11.

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Verizon Communications Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $185.46 billion, a PE ratio of 10.64, 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 current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The business's fifty day moving average is $41.39 and its 200-day moving average is $41.99.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.08 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $0.6775 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.71 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.15%. Verizon Communications's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.88, for a total value of $319,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 6,590 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $262,809.20. This trade represents a 54.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Vandana Venkatesh sold 10,000 shares of Verizon Communications stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.79, for a total transaction of $437,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 14,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at $633,159.61. This represents a 40.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 49,085 shares of company stock valued at $2,020,895. 0.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Prostatis Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. Prostatis Group LLC now owns 38,030 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,521,000 after buying an additional 2,361 shares in the last quarter. Chancellor Financial Group WB LP bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth $901,000. 111 Capital bought a new position in shares of Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth $614,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,327,633 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $53,092,000 after buying an additional 276,891 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 813,067 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $32,515,000 after buying an additional 56,382 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 62.06% of the company's stock.

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).