Vodafone Group PLC $VOD Shares Sold by Trexquant Investment LP

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP reduced its stake in Vodafone Group PLC by 46.9% during the first quarter, selling over 307,000 shares and leaving it with approximately 348,916 shares valued at around $3.27 million.
• Other hedge funds also made significant changes to their holdings, with Barclays PLC increasing its stake by 57,500% and several firms acquiring new positions, indicating shifting interest among institutional investors.
• Vodafone Group's stock has recently opened at $11.72, with a market capitalization of $28.48 billion and mixed analyst ratings, leading to a consensus rating of "Reduce" with a price target set at $136.00.

Trexquant Investment LP lessened its position in shares of Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD - Free Report) by 46.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 348,916 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 307,597 shares during the quarter. Trexquant Investment LP's holdings in Vodafone Group were worth $3,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 2.2% in the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 1,048,723 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $9,827,000 after buying an additional 22,900 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 2.0% in the first quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 961,800 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $9,012,000 after buying an additional 18,500 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vodafone Group in the first quarter worth about $178,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 39.2% in the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 33,839 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 9,537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 516.1% in the first quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 182,003 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $1,705,000 after buying an additional 152,462 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.84% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VOD. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Vodafone Group from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $136.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Berenberg Bank raised Vodafone Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Vodafone Group in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. They issued an "equal weight" rating for the company. Wall Street Zen cut Vodafone Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Vodafone Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vodafone Group currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $136.00.

Vodafone Group Price Performance

Shares of Vodafone Group stock traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $11.81. 2,882,394 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,595,996. The business has a 50-day moving average of $11.33 and a 200 day moving average of $10.14. Vodafone Group PLC has a fifty-two week low of $8.00 and a fifty-two week high of $12.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.70 billion, a PE ratio of 10.36, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

About Vodafone Group

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.