Vodafone Group Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:VOD)

Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders bought 5,262 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 57% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,349 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Vodafone Group to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Vodafone Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Vodafone Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $72.00.

Vodafone Group Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:VOD opened at $14.50 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $13.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.07. Vodafone Group has a fifty-two week low of $8.00 and a fifty-two week high of $14.53.

Vodafone Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 5th. Stockholders 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%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VOD. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group by 156.8% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,275 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Vodafone Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 946 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 3,352 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group by 36.2% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 6,389 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 1,698 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.84% of the company’s stock.

Vodafone Group Company Profile

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.