Telefonica SA (NYSE:TEF) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest in Telefonica SA grew by 24.8% in August, reaching a total of 3,880,000 shares as of August 31.
• The company reported $10.28 billion in revenue for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $9.03 billion.
• Several research analysts have upgraded Telefonica's stock rating, with Wall Street Zen moving it from a "hold" to a "buy" rating in May.

Telefonica SA (NYSE:TEF - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 3,880,000 shares, a growth of 24.8% from the August 15th total of 3,110,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 573,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.8 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company's stock are sold short. Approximately 0.1% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 573,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 6.8 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Telefonica to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Telefonica currently has an average rating of "Reduce".

Institutional Trading of Telefonica

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Atwood & Palmer Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Telefonica in the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its position in Telefonica by 50.4% during the first quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 10,031 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 3,361 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new stake in shares of Telefonica in the fourth quarter valued at about $48,000. Momentous Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Telefonica in the first quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Wrapmanager Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Telefonica in the second quarter valued at about $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 1.14% of the company's stock.

Telefonica Stock Performance

Telefonica stock traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $5.18. 470,730 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 541,035. Telefonica has a 12-month low of $3.89 and a 12-month high of $5.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $29.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.56. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $5.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $5.11.

Telefonica (NYSE:TEF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The utilities provider reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.08. The company had revenue of $10.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.03 billion. Telefonica had a negative net margin of 5.88% and a positive return on equity of 8.57%. Equities research analysts predict that Telefonica will post 0.3 EPS for the current year.

Telefonica Company Profile

Telefónica, SA, together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services in Europe and Latin America. The company offers mobile and related services and products, such as mobile voice, value added, mobile data and internet, wholesale, corporate, roaming, fixed wireless, and trunking and paging services.