ClearBridge Investments, an investment management firm, published its “Dividend Strategy” fourth quarter 2021 investor letter – a copy of which can be downloaded here. The ClearBridge Dividend Strategy outperformed its S&P 500 Index benchmark during the fourth quarter. On an absolute basis, the Strategy had gains in 10 of 11 sectors in which it was invested for the quarter. The main contributors to Strategy performance were the IT, health care, and materials sectors. The communication services sector, meanwhile, was the sole detractor. Spare some time to check the fund’s top 5 holdings to have a clue about their top bets for 2022.
ClearBridge Investments Dividend Strategy, in its Q4 2021 investor letter, mentioned Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) and discussed its stance on the firm. Founded in 1983, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is a New York, New York-based telecommunications company with a $221.2 billion market capitalization, and is currently spearheaded by its CEO, Hans Vestberg. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) delivered a 1.37% return since the beginning of the year, while its 12-month returns are down by -8.56%. The stock closed at $52.67 per share on April 07, 2022.
Here is what ClearBridge Investments Dividend Strategy has to say about Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in its Q4 2021 investor letter:
“Over the last year, we have repositioned our portfolio to navigate the course we see ahead. We added to more defensive areas of the portfolio like telecom (Verizon). While the next month or two will likely prove choppy on account of the Omicron variant, we believe that Omicron, like Delta, represents a speed bump on the way to recovery rather than a true change in course. We see strong economic momentum continuing in 2022 and we expect interest rates to rise. After a decade of remarkably low rates, we would not be surprised if this change in direction is accompanied by some fits and starts in the markets. With our emphasis on pricing power, purposeful sector exposure, valuation discipline, and a strong dividend profile, we believe we are well-positioned for the year ahead.”
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Our calculations show that Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) failed to obtain a mark on our list of the 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) was in 63 hedge fund portfolios at the end of the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to 57 funds in the previous quarter. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) delivered a -2.03% return in the past 3 months.
In February 2022, we also shared another hedge fund’s views on Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in another article. You can find other letters from hedge funds and prominent investors on our hedge fund investor letters 2021 Q4 page.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
