Rep. Julie Johnson Sells Off Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)

Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) recently sold shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ). In a filing disclosed on September 11th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Verizon Communications stock on August 14th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “CHASE BROKERAGE ACCOUNT (3935)” account.

Representative Julie Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Parker-Hannifin (NYSE:PH) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Fidelity National Information Services (NYSE:FIS) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Home Depot (NYSE:HD) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Dover (NYSE:DOV) on 8/14/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) on 8/14/2025.

Verizon Communications Stock Down 1.2%

VZ stock opened at $43.70 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $184.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.64 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $37.58 and a 1-year high of $47.35. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $43.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.39.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The cell phone carrier reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $34.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.47 billion. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 13.28% and a return on equity of 19.61%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.15 EPS. Verizon Communications has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.636-4.728 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be issued a $0.69 dividend. This represents a $2.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. This is a positive change from Verizon Communications’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 63.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on VZ shares. Arete Research raised Verizon Communications to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Verizon Communications from $42.00 to $43.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Verizon Communications from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.65.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Verizon Communications

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications in the 2nd quarter worth $2,504,150,000. GQG Partners LLC increased its position in Verizon Communications by 303.9% during the first quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 49,859,967 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $2,261,648,000 after buying an additional 37,516,167 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Verizon Communications in the 1st quarter valued at about $661,720,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 737.5% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 11,697,003 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $530,576,000 after acquiring an additional 10,300,369 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 301.2% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 8,504,920 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $385,750,000 after acquiring an additional 6,385,197 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.

About Representative Johnson

Julie Johnson (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Julie Johnson earned a B.A. in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1991. Johnson’s career experience includes working as an attorney.

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).