Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF) Given Average Recommendation of "Reduce" by Analysts

Shares of Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have given a hold recommendation to the company.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on TEF. DZ Bank cut Telefónica from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Telefónica in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a "market perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Telefónica from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday.

Telefónica Price Performance

Shares of NYSE TEF traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $5.14. 141,257 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 699,888. The company has a market capitalization of $29.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -19.75 and a beta of 0.46. 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 has a 52-week low of $3.89 and a 52-week high of $5.15. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $4.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $4.45.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telefónica

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in TEF. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its position in shares of Telefónica by 71.6% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,236 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 2,603 shares during the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of Telefónica in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Drive Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Telefónica in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Prospect Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Telefónica in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Telefónica in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by 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.