Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD) Shares Sold by Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s.

Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. reduced its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD - Free Report) by 96.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,500 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 280,000 shares during the period. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s.'s holdings in Vodafone Group were worth $89,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Vodafone Group by 341.2% in the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 4,146,322 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $35,202,000 after purchasing an additional 3,206,506 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vodafone Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $21,969,000. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC lifted its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 18.1% during the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 14,598,375 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $123,940,000 after buying an additional 2,238,935 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Vodafone Group by 272.9% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 2,253,059 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $21,111,000 after acquiring an additional 1,648,879 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Vodafone Group during the fourth quarter worth about $10,583,000. Institutional investors own 7.84% of the company's stock.

Vodafone Group Price Performance

Vodafone Group stock traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $10.92. The company had a trading volume of 12,281,315 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,230,344. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.23. Vodafone Group PLC has a 12-month low of $8.00 and a 12-month high of $11.07. The company has a market capitalization of $27.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.59. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $10.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.22.

Vodafone Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid 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 presently 41.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VOD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vodafone Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Bank of America lowered Vodafone Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Vodafone Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. They set an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Finally, Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Vodafone Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

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.