Vodafone Group (NASDAQ:VOD) Receives Sell (D+) Rating from Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Vodafone Group's stock has been given a "sell (D+)" rating by Weiss Ratings, indicating a negative outlook from analysts.
• The stock remains flat at $11.27 with a market cap of $27.17 billion and a consensus rating of "Reduce" from various research firms.
• Recent activity shows institutional investors increasing their stakes in Vodafone Group, with Arrowstreet Capital increasing its holdings by 22.9% in the second quarter.

Vodafone Group (NASDAQ:VOD - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "sell (d+)" rating reiterated by investment analysts at Weiss Ratings in a report issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on VOD. Zacks Research raised shares of Vodafone Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Vodafone Group from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $136.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Berenberg Bank upgraded Vodafone Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Vodafone Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. They set an "equal weight" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vodafone Group has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $136.00.

Vodafone Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VOD remained flat at $11.27 during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The company had a trading volume of 3,787,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,512,938. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $11.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.50. Vodafone Group has a 1-year low of $8.00 and a 1-year high of $12.06. The stock has a market cap of $27.17 billion, a PE ratio of 9.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.62.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vodafone Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 22.9% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 27,680,971 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $295,079,000 after buying an additional 5,160,095 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Vodafone Group by 116.9% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 8,076,148 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $86,092,000 after acquiring an additional 4,352,389 shares during the last quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC grew its holdings in Vodafone Group by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 25,696,928 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $240,780,000 after acquiring an additional 3,690,617 shares during the last quarter. SALT Holding Corp. grew its holdings in Vodafone Group by 3,039.6% during the 2nd quarter. SALT Holding Corp. now owns 3,623,500 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $38,627,000 after acquiring an additional 3,508,086 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Vodafone Group by 282.5% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 3,161,978 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $33,707,000 after acquiring an additional 2,335,306 shares during the last quarter. 7.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Vodafone Group

Vodafone Group Public Limited Company provides telecommunication services in Europe and internationally. It offers mobile connectivity services comprising end-to-end services for mobile voice and data, messaging, device management, BYOx, and telecoms management, as well as professional and consulting services; and fixed line connectivity, such as fixed voice and data, broadband, software-defined networks, managed WAN, LAN, ethernet, and satellite; and financial services, as well as business and merchant services.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.