Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD) Given Average Recommendation of "Reduce" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Nine analysts give Vodafone an average recommendation of "Reduce" (4 sell, 3 hold, 2 buy), with an average 12‑month price target of $72.00.
• Shares opened at $15.69 and were trading down ~1.0%, with a 12‑month range of $8.56–$15.94 and 50‑day / 200‑day moving averages of $15.08 and $13.37 respectively.
• Institutional investors own about 7.84% of the stock, and several smaller asset managers (e.g., Assetmark, Manchester Capital) have recently increased their positions.

Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the nine research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $72.00.

Several analysts have issued reports on VOD shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Vodafone Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Berenberg Bank raised Vodafone Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised Vodafone Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd.

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. boosted its position in Vodafone Group by 156.8% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,275 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,389 shares during the period. American Capital Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 40.8% during the fourth quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 696 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,193 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Vodafone Group by 207.6% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 3,282 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 2,215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in Vodafone Group by 38.0% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,435 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 7.84% of the company's stock.

Vodafone Group Trading Down 1.0%

Vodafone Group stock opened at $15.69 on Friday. Vodafone Group has a 12-month low of $8.56 and a 12-month high of $15.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $15.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.37.

Vodafone Group Company Profile

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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