HBK Sorce Advisory LLC Has $6.68 Million Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. $VZ

HBK Sorce Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 23.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 165,463 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,843 shares during the quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $6,681,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Bulwark Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Advantage Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Verizon Communications by 549.5% in the 2nd quarter. Advantage Trust Co now owns 591 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. 1 North Wealth Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Verizon Communications during the first quarter worth $29,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Verizon Communications in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its holdings in Verizon Communications by 739.5% in the third quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 680 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. 62.06% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Verizon Communications Stock Performance

Shares of VZ stock opened at $40.49 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.74. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 52 week low of $37.58 and a 52 week high of $47.35. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $40.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.00. The company has a market capitalization of $170.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.33.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.02. Verizon Communications had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 19.31%. The company had revenue of $33.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Verizon Communications Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.69 per share. This represents a $2.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 12th. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio is 58.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VZ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.50 to $51.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Verizon Communications from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Verizon Communications from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.47.

About Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE: VZ) is a major U.S.-based telecommunications company that provides a broad range of communications and information services. Its operations span consumer and business markets, with core offerings that include wireless voice and data services, fixed-line broadband and fiber-optic services, and enterprise networking solutions. Verizon is headquartered in New York City and operates a nationwide wireless network that supports consumer subscribers as well as business and government customers.

The company’s consumer products include mobile phone plans, unlimited data services, and Fios, its branded fiber-optic internet, television and voice service for homes and small businesses.