Vodafone Group (NASDAQ:VOD) Reaches New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Vodafone's stock hit a new 52-week high intraday at $15.94 and was last at $15.845 with about 424,463 shares traded, roughly up 0.4% on the session.
• Analyst coverage is mixed—2 Buy, 3 Hold and 4 Sell—resulting in a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price cited at $72.00.
• The company shows modest liquidity (quick ratio 1.13, current ratio 1.17) and moderate leverage (debt-to-equity 0.78); institutional investors own 7.84% of the stock, with several funds recently increasing positions.

Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $15.94 and last traded at $15.8450, with a volume of 424463 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $15.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VOD. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group upgraded Vodafone Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Berenberg Bank upgraded Vodafone Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Vodafone Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vodafone Group has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $72.00.

Vodafone Group Trading Up 0.4%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.32.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vodafone Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VOD. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Vodafone Group by 156.8% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,275 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389 shares during the period. American Capital Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 40.8% in the fourth quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 696 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 81.8% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,651 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 1,193 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 3,455.7% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 3,449 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 3,352 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 38.0% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,435 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 946 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.84% of the company's stock.

About Vodafone Group

Vodafone Group plc is a British multinational telecommunications company headquartered in London. It provides a wide range of communications services to consumer and enterprise customers, including mobile voice and data, fixed-line broadband, cable and pay-TV, and wholesale network services. The company also offers business-oriented solutions such as cloud and hosting, managed networks, unified communications, and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and platform services.

Vodafone operates through a combination of wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures and partner arrangements across multiple countries, with a particularly large presence in Europe and in several African markets.

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