American Century Companies Inc. Has $15.57 Million Stake in Vodafone Group PLC $VOD

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Vodafone Group PLC by 26.4%, acquiring an additional 346,458 shares, bringing its total ownership to 1,661,165 shares worth approximately $15.57 million.
• Multiple institutional investors have modified their holdings, with Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increasing their stake by 65.5% and NBC Securities Inc. drastically increasing theirs by over 116,000% during the same quarter.
• Analysts have varied opinions on Vodafone, with Goldman Sachs downgrading their rating to "sell" while Zacks Research raised it to "hold." The average consensus price target is set at $136.00.

American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD - Free Report) by 26.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,661,165 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after acquiring an additional 346,458 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Vodafone Group worth $15,565,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in shares of Vodafone Group by 65.5% in the 1st quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 3,159 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250 shares in the last quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. grew its stake in Vodafone Group by 9.8% during the 1st quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. now owns 14,700 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $143,000 after buying an additional 1,308 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its stake in Vodafone Group by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 92,068 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $863,000 after buying an additional 1,318 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 4.9% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 28,435 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 1,332 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 11.2% in the first quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,531 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $127,000 after purchasing an additional 1,364 shares in the last quarter. 7.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vodafone Group Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ VOD traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $11.96. The stock had a trading volume of 4,050,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,537,580. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $11.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.02. The firm has a market cap of $29.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.62. Vodafone Group PLC has a fifty-two week low of $8.00 and a fifty-two week high of $12.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.23.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Vodafone Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Vodafone Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. They set an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Berenberg Bank raised Vodafone Group to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Vodafone Group from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $136.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Vodafone Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vodafone Group currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $136.00.

Vodafone Group Company Profile

Vodafone Group Public Limited Company provides telecommunication services in Europe and internationally. It offers mobile connectivity services comprising end-to-end services for mobile voice and data, messaging, device management, BYOx, and telecoms management, as well as professional and consulting services; and fixed line connectivity, such as fixed voice and data, broadband, software-defined networks, managed WAN, LAN, ethernet, and satellite; and financial services, as well as business and merchant services.