Vident Advisory LLC Sells 22,870 Shares of Vodafone Group PLC $VOD

Key Points

• Vident Advisory LLC reduced its holdings in Vodafone Group PLC by 39.0% in the first quarter, selling 22,870 shares and leaving their total ownership at 35,834 shares worth approximately $336,000.
• Several hedge funds altered their positions in Vodafone, with ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC increasing its stake by 16.8%, while Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its position by an extraordinary 272.9%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Vodafone, with one buy, four hold, and two sell ratings leading to an average target price set at $136.00, as the stock remains under pressure with a recent trading price around $11.80.

Vident Advisory LLC cut its stake in Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD - Free Report) by 39.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,834 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 22,870 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Vodafone Group were worth $336,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Vodafone Group by 57,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 29,952 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $254,000 after purchasing an additional 29,900 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Vodafone Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,117,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Vodafone Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $970,000. Waverly Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vodafone Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $216,000. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Vodafone Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $125,000. 7.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Vodafone Group Stock Performance

VOD stock traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $11.85. 3,541,688 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,474,801. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $10.25. Vodafone Group PLC has a 12 month low of $8.00 and a 12 month high of $12.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.