Telefónica (NYSE:TEF) Upgraded to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Telefónica (NYSE:TEF - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Thursday.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on TEF. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Telefónica in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. DZ Bank lowered Telefónica from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold".

Telefónica Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of TEF traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $5.25. The company had a trading volume of 858,922 shares, compared to its average volume of 706,426. Telefónica has a 1-year low of $3.89 and a 1-year high of $5.25. The stock has a market cap of $29.77 billion, a PE ratio of -20.19 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $4.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33.

Telefónica (NYSE:TEF - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The utilities provider reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08. Telefónica had a positive return on equity of 10.10% and a negative net margin of 2.84%. The firm had revenue of $9.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.06 billion. Research analysts forecast that Telefónica will post 0.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telefónica

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TEF. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Telefónica by 20.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 6,243,236 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,093,000 after purchasing an additional 1,065,861 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Telefónica by 30.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,622,588 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $14,563,000 after purchasing an additional 851,581 shares during the last quarter. Drum Hill Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Telefónica during the 4th quarter worth $2,001,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Telefónica by 36.7% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 963,584 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,874,000 after purchasing an additional 258,489 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Telefónica during the 4th quarter worth $1,022,000. 1.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Telefónica 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.