Investors Buy High Volume of Call Options on Vodafone Group (NASDAQ:VOD)

Key Points

• Unusual options activity: Investors purchased 25,216 Vodafone call options, approximately 1,153% above the average volume of 2,012 contracts.
• Vodafone shares fell 1.8% to $16.27 during Tuesday trading, while institutional investors and hedge funds collectively owned 7.84% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with recent upgrades and downgrades leaving Vodafone with a consensus “Reduce” rating and an average price target of $10.57.

Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders purchased 25,216 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 1,153% compared to the average volume of 2,012 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VOD. Bayban boosted its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 6,696.7% in the 1st quarter. Bayban now owns 2,039 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009 shares in the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Vodafone Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in Vodafone Group by 31.5% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,992 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 717 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Vodafone Group by 207.6% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 3,282 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 2,215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Vodafone Group during the second quarter worth about $45,000. 7.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vodafone Group Trading Down 1.8%

NASDAQ VOD traded down $0.30 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $16.27. 1,818,037 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,128,850. Vodafone Group has a 1-year low of $11.12 and a 1-year high of $17.71. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $16.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on VOD. New Street Research upgraded shares of Vodafone Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Vodafone Group from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Vodafone Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Barclays downgraded shares of Vodafone Group from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vodafone Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $10.57.

About Vodafone Group

Vodafone Group Plc is a telecommunications company headquartered in the United Kingdom. It provides mobile voice and data services, fixed-line broadband, digital television and related communications services to consumers and businesses.

The company also serves enterprise customers through Vodafone Business, offering connectivity, cloud and hosting services, cybersecurity, unified communications, and Internet of Things solutions. Vodafone's operations and partnerships span several European markets and countries in Africa, with services delivered through mobile and fixed networks.

Vodafone traces its origins to the mobile telecommunications business of Racal Electronics and became an independent company in 1991.

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