Millennium Management LLC Has $1.13 Million Holdings in Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF)

Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF - Free Report) by 179.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 281,932 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 180,945 shares during the quarter. Millennium Management LLC's holdings in Telefónica were worth $1,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in shares of Telefónica by 34.5% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 21,170 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 5,435 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Telefónica during the 4th quarter valued at $188,000. Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new stake in shares of Telefónica in the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Telefónica by 53.2% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 324,690 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,309,000 after purchasing an additional 112,724 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Trust Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Telefónica by 20.9% in the fourth quarter. American Trust Investment Advisors LLC now owns 231,204 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $929,000 after buying an additional 40,035 shares during the period. 1.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Telefónica Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:TEF traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $5.30. 604,500 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 693,236. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $4.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $4.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.85. Telefónica, S.A. has a 52-week low of $3.89 and a 52-week high of $5.36. The company has a market capitalization of $30.05 billion, a PE ratio of -20.38 and a beta of 0.46.

Telefónica (NYSE:TEF - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The utilities provider reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.08. Telefónica had a negative net margin of 2.84% and a positive return on equity of 10.10%. The business had revenue of $9.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.06 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Telefónica, S.A. will post 0.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Telefónica Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.1703 per share. This represents a yield of 4.5%. This is a positive change from Telefónica's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.16. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 18th. Telefónica's payout ratio is currently -63.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Telefónica in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. DZ Bank cut Telefónica from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Telefónica from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Telefónica currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

About Telefónica

Telefónica, SA, together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services in Europe and Latin America. The company offers mobile and related services and products, such as mobile voice, value added, mobile data and internet, wholesale, corporate, roaming, fixed wireless, and trunking and paging services.