Vodafone Group (NASDAQ:VOD) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Here's Why

Shares of Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD - Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 15,540,582 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 76% from the previous session's volume of 8,844,781 shares.The stock last traded at $10.24 and had previously closed at $10.04.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. DZ Bank raised Vodafone Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vodafone Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Vodafone Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Vodafone Group Trading Up 0.1%

The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $25.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.96 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.08.

Vodafone Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.2355 per share. This represents a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. Vodafone Group's payout ratio is 41.23%.

Institutional Trading of Vodafone Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in Vodafone Group by 65.5% in the 1st quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 3,159 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250 shares during the period. Brucke Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 9.8% during the first quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. now owns 14,700 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $143,000 after buying an additional 1,308 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group by 1.5% in the first quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 92,068 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $863,000 after buying an additional 1,318 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 28,435 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $265,000 after acquiring an additional 1,332 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Vodafone Group by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,531 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.84% of the company's stock.

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.