Jump Financial LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)
by Jessica Moore · The Cerbat GemJump Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Free Report) by 568.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,273 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,995 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC’s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $1,411,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VZ. CacheTech Inc. raised its holdings in Verizon Communications by 25.3% during the fourth quarter. CacheTech Inc. now owns 16,334 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $653,000 after purchasing an additional 3,296 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in Verizon Communications by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 21,693 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $868,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications during the 4th quarter worth $576,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan purchased a new stake in Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at $6,207,000. Finally, Promethos Capital LLC boosted its stake in Verizon Communications by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Promethos Capital LLC now owns 107,460 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $4,297,000 after acquiring an additional 3,700 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 62.06% of the company’s stock.
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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $633,159.61. This trade represents a 40.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Kyle Malady sold 11,085 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.88, for a total transaction of $453,154.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 14,590 shares in the company, valued at $596,439.20. This trade represents a 43.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 49,085 shares of company stock valued at $2,020,895 in the last quarter. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Verizon Communications Trading Up 0.9 %
NYSE:VZ opened at $44.01 on Friday. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.59 and a 1 year high of $47.36. 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 has a fifty day moving average price of $43.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $185.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.63, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.41.
Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ – Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 12.99% and a return on equity of 19.80%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Verizon Communications Announces Dividend
The business 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 6.16%. Verizon Communications’s payout ratio is 65.46%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research cut Verizon Communications from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Argus upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Verizon Communications from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $45.00 price target (up previously from $42.00) on shares of Verizon Communications in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Verizon Communications presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.92.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Verizon Communications
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).
See Also
- Five stocks we like better than Verizon Communications
- How to Know if a Stock Pays Dividends and When They Are Paid Out
- J.B. Hunt Transport Overcorrects Into a Buying Opportunity
- Why Are These Companies Considered Blue Chips?
- AppLovin: Can Record Profits Overcome Market Skepticism?
- The Basics of Support and Resistance
- MarketBeat Week in Review – 04/14 – 04/18
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VZ? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ – Free Report).