<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Axa S.A. boosted its position in  Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,464,774 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 83,944 shares during the quarter. Axa S.A.'s holdings in Verizon Communications were worth $58,576,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Verizon Communications</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><ul><li>AT&amp;T, Verizon &amp; T-Mobile: Who Won the Big 3 Telecom Battle in Q1?</li></ul><p>Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in  Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000.  Legend Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of  Verizon Communications by 69.6% during the 4th quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 780 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares during the period.  Graney &amp; King LLC acquired a new stake in shares of  Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000.  Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in  Verizon Communications in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000.  Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new position in  Verizon Communications during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. </p><h2>Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth</h2><p>Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VZ. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Wolfe Research lowered Verizon Communications from an &#34;outperform&#34; rating to a &#34;peer perform&#34; rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. TD Cowen raised Verizon Communications to a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Verizon Communications from $48.50 to $49.00 and gave the stock a &#34;sector perform&#34; rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Verizon Communications from an &#34;in-line&#34; rating to an &#34;outperform&#34; rating and set a $48.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Nine 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average price target of $47.41.</p><ul><li>T-Mobile US: The Un-Carrier Is an Indisputable Buy on the Dip </li></ul><p><b>View Our Latest Research Report on VZ</b></p><h2>Insiders Place Their Bets</h2><p>In other Verizon Communications news, EVP Vandana Venkatesh sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.79, for a total value of $437,900.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at $633,159.61. This trade represents a 40.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Kyle Malady sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 6,590 shares in the company, valued at $262,809.20. The trade was a 54.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 30,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,298,440. Company insiders own  0.10% of the company's stock. </p><h2>Verizon Communications Price Performance</h2><ul><li>Should You Ditch Index Funds? Why High-Yield ETFs Might Be Better</li></ul><p>VZ opened at $43.74 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $184.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.57, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a 50-day moving average of $43.68 and a 200-day moving average of $41.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 0.63. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1-year low of $37.59 and a 1-year high of $47.36. </p><p>Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The cell phone carrier reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $33.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $33.31 billion. Verizon Communications had a return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 12.99%.  Equities analysts expect that  Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Verizon Communications Announces Dividend</h2><p>The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were paid a dividend of $0.6775 per share. The ex-dividend date  was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $2.71 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.20%. Verizon Communications's payout ratio is 64.52%. </p><h2>About Verizon Communications</h2> (Free Report)<p>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).</p><h2>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Verizon Communications</li><li>What is Put Option Volume?</li><li>Magnificent 7 Stocks Send a Dire Warning to Markets</li><li>What Is WallStreetBets and What Stocks Are They Targeting?</li><li>Why Spotify Stock Still Has Room to Run in 2025</li><li>Airline Stocks - Top Airline Stocks to Buy Now</li><li>Buy the Dip: Top Tech Stocks Analysts Say Are Undervalued</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VZ?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVZa?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVZa"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Verizon Communications Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Verizon Communications, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Verizon Communications wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Verizon Communications currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Axa S.A. increased its stake in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) by 6.1% in Q4, owning 1,464,774 shares valued at $58.58 million. Other institutional investors also adjusted their holdings. Analysts have mixed ratings on Verizon, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $47.41. Recent insider sales included 10,000 shares by EVP Vandana Venkatesh and 8,000 shares by CEO Kyle Malady. Verizon's stock opened at $43.74, with a market cap of $184.42 billion and a P/E ratio of 10.57.</p>

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) Shares Acquired by Axa S.A.