Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD) Short Interest Up 77,760.5% in July

Key Points

• Short Interest Surge: Vodafone Group PLC experienced a dramatic increase in short interest, soaring by 77,760.5% in July, bringing the total to 16,740,000 shares.
• Dividend Announcement: The company declared a semi-annual dividend of $0.2355, with a dividend yield of 660.0% and a payout ratio of 42.98%.
• Analyst Ratings: Vodafone's stock has received mixed ratings, with two analysts issuing sell ratings, five holding, and one buy, resulting in an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $136.00.

Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 16,740,000 shares, agrowthof77,760.5% from the June 30th total of 21,500 shares. Currently,0.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 14,250,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 14,250,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days. Currently,0.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vodafone Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC boosted its holdings in Vodafone Group by 16.8% in the first quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 25,696,928 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $240,780,000 after purchasing an additional 3,690,617 shares in the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Vodafone Group by 341.2% in the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 4,146,322 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $35,202,000 after purchasing an additional 3,206,506 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Vodafone Group in the fourth quarter worth $21,969,000. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC boosted its holdings in Vodafone Group by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 14,598,375 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $123,940,000 after purchasing an additional 2,238,935 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Vodafone Group by 272.9% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 2,253,059 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $21,111,000 after purchasing an additional 1,648,879 shares in the last quarter. 7.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Vodafone Group from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $136.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Vodafone Group to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vodafone Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Vodafone Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. They set an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $136.00.

Vodafone Group Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of Vodafone Group stock traded up $0.15 on Friday, hitting $10.96. 10,487,991 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,019,809. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $10.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. Vodafone Group has a 12-month low of $8.00 and a 12-month high of $11.66. The company has a market cap of $28.71 billion, a PE ratio of 9.61, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.62.

Vodafone Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th were issued a dividend of $0.2355 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 660.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. Vodafone Group's payout ratio is currently 42.98%.

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.