Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Shares of Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Hold" from the seven analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Vodafone Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. They set an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Bank of America lowered shares of Vodafone Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Vodafone Group to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vodafone Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th.

Vodafone Group Price Performance

Shares of Vodafone Group stock traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $10.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,622,846 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,237,758. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $10.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.26. 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 has a market cap of $27.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.57, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.59. Vodafone Group has a one year low of $8.00 and a one year high of $11.03.

Vodafone Group Cuts Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Vodafone Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Atwood & Palmer Inc. purchased a new stake in Vodafone Group in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its holdings in Vodafone Group by 65.5% during the first quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 3,159 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,250 shares during the period. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in Vodafone Group in the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Vodafone Group by 116,833.3% during the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 3,508 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 3,505 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group by 63.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,881 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,899 shares during the period. 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.