Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD) has earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $72.00.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a report on Monday, November 3rd. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Vodafone Group to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Berenberg Bank upgraded Vodafone Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays upgraded Vodafone Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th.

Vodafone Group Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of VOD stock opened at $14.17 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Vodafone Group has a twelve month low of $8.00 and a twelve month high of $14.17. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $12.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.02.

Vodafone Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th will be given a dividend of $0.2567 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 24th. This represents a dividend yield of 434.0%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vodafone Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VOD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Vodafone Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 156.8% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,275 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,389 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group by 3,455.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 3,449 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 3,352 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in Vodafone Group by 38.0% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,435 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Vodafone Group by 49.7% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,632 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 2,201 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.84% of the company’s stock.

About Vodafone Group

Vodafone Group plc is a British multinational telecommunications company headquartered in London. It provides a wide range of communications services to consumer and enterprise customers, including mobile voice and data, fixed-line broadband, cable and pay-TV, and wholesale network services. The company also offers business-oriented solutions such as cloud and hosting, managed networks, unified communications, and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and platform services.

Vodafone operates through a combination of wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures and partner arrangements across multiple countries, with a particularly large presence in Europe and in several African markets.