Vodafone Group PLC $VOD Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC has reduced its stake in Vodafone Group PLC by 15.6%, selling 44,770 shares and leaving it with 242,690 shares valued at approximately $2.27 million.
• Several large investors have significantly increased their holdings in Vodafone, with Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. upping their stake by 65.5% and NBC Securities Inc. boosting it by an astonishing 116,833.3%.
• Analysts have mixed sentiments about Vodafone, with one upgrade to "hold" and a downgrade from The Goldman Sachs Group to "sell," setting a target price of $136.00.

HighTower Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD - Free Report) by 15.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 242,690 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock after selling 44,770 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in Vodafone Group were worth $2,274,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in Vodafone Group by 65.5% in the 1st quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 3,159 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250 shares in the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Vodafone Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. NBC Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Vodafone Group by 116,833.3% during the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 3,508 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 3,505 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vodafone Group by 258.0% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 5,180 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 3,733 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Vodafone Group by 509.7% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 6,829 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 5,709 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.84% of the company's stock.

Vodafone Group Price Performance

Shares of Vodafone Group stock traded up $0.04 during trading on Friday, reaching $11.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,050,907 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,537,580. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. Vodafone Group PLC has a 12-month low of $8.00 and a 12-month high of $12.06. The company has a market capitalization of $29.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $11.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $10.01.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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