Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD - Free Report) by 1.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,499,770 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after buying an additional 69,986 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.23% of Vodafone Group worth $51,533,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Vodafone Group by 57,500.0% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 29,952 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 29,900 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Vodafone Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $970,000. Waverly Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vodafone Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $216,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vodafone Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Vodafone Group by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 846,901 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $7,190,000 after purchasing an additional 68,833 shares during the last quarter. 7.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vodafone Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VOD traded up $0.21 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $11.01. 9,291,796 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,300,688. The company's 50 day moving average is $10.21 and its 200 day moving average is $9.33. Vodafone Group PLC has a one year low of $8.00 and a one year high of $11.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.84 billion, a PE ratio of 9.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.59.

Vodafone Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $0.2355 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a yield of 6.6%. Vodafone Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VOD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Vodafone Group in a 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Bank of America downgraded shares of Vodafone Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vodafone Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold".

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.