BNP Paribas Financial Markets Cuts Position in Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its holdings in Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF - Free Report) by 79.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 36,085 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 137,775 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Telefónica were worth $145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in Telefónica by 71.6% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,236 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,603 shares in the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Telefónica in the fourth quarter valued at $44,000. Prospect Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Telefónica in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Carrera Capital Advisors bought a new position in shares of Telefónica in the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Telefónica by 61.2% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 11,635 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 4,419 shares in the last quarter. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on TEF shares. DZ Bank lowered shares of Telefónica from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Telefónica from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Telefónica in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Telefónica has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Telefónica Stock Performance

TEF stock traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $5.28. The company had a trading volume of 275,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 702,661. The firm has a market cap of $29.94 billion, a PE ratio of -20.31 and a beta of 0.46. 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 12 month low of $3.89 and a 12 month high of $5.36. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $4.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.50.

Telefónica (NYSE:TEF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The utilities provider reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.06 billion. Telefónica had a negative net margin of 2.84% and a positive return on equity of 10.10%. On average, analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be given a dividend of $0.1703 per share. This is a positive change from Telefónica's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.16. This represents a dividend yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 18th. Telefónica's payout ratio is -63.16%.

Telefónica Profile

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.