Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Grows Stake in Vodafone Group PLC $VOD

Key Points

• Gateway Investment Advisers LLC significantly increased its stake in Vodafone Group PLC by 2,007% during the second quarter, acquiring 478,382 additional shares.
• Vodafone Group's stock is down 0.9%, with shares currently priced at $11.66, and a market cap of $28.11 billion.
• Analyst ratings for Vodafone Group are mixed, with one "Buy," four "Hold," and two "Sell" ratings, reflecting a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a target price of $136.00.

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD - Free Report) by 2,007.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 502,218 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after purchasing an additional 478,382 shares during the quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC's holdings in Vodafone Group were worth $5,354,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Atwood & Palmer Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vodafone Group during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in Vodafone Group by 65.5% during the 1st quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 3,159 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250 shares during the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Vodafone Group during the 1st quarter worth $31,000. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 116,833.3% in the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 3,508 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 3,505 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vodafone Group in the first quarter worth approximately $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.84% of the company's stock.

Vodafone Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VOD traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $11.41. The stock had a trading volume of 4,688,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,499,400. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $11.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $10.35. Vodafone Group PLC has a twelve month low of $8.00 and a twelve month high of $12.06. The stock has a market cap of $27.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.01, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.26.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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