Rep. Emily Randall Sells Off Shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)

Representative Emily Randall (D-Washington) recently sold shares of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ). In a filing disclosed on February 11th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Verizon Communications stock on January 6th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “GARRET D. LEAHEY 2019 IRREVOCABLE F/B/O ALISON LEAHEY” account.

Representative Emily Randall also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) on 1/7/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) on 1/6/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) on 1/6/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) on 1/6/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) on 1/6/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Fortive (NYSE:FTV) on 1/6/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) on 1/6/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Mondelez International (NASDAQ:MDLZ) on 1/6/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) on 1/6/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) on 1/6/2025.

Verizon Communications Price Performance

NYSE VZ opened at $40.52 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $170.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.79, a P/E/G ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.45. Verizon Communications Inc. has a 1 year low of $37.58 and a 1 year high of $45.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.56.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 24th. The cell phone carrier reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Verizon Communications Inc. will post 4.69 EPS for the current year.

Verizon Communications Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 10th were issued a dividend of $0.6775 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 10th. This represents a $2.71 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.69%. Verizon Communications’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Verizon Communications in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Verizon Communications from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research 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 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wolfe Research increased their price objective on shares of Verizon Communications from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Verizon Communications to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Verizon Communications news, CEO Kyle Malady sold 11,085 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $596,439.20. The trade was a 43.17 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 39,085 shares of company stock valued at $1,582,995. 0.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Verizon Communications

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Verizon Communications during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Accordant Advisory Group Inc grew its stake in shares of Verizon Communications by 137.6% during the third quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 777 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Verizon Communications by 69.6% in the fourth quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 780 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Graney & King LLC bought a new position in Verizon Communications in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 62.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Representative Randall

Emily Randall (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Washington’s 6th Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Randall (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Washington’s 6th Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Emily Randall was born in Port Orchard, Washington, and lives in Bremerton, Washington. Randall earned bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and women’s studies from Wellesley College in 2008. Her career experience includes working as a development professional with Wellesley College, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Legal Voice.

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).