Vodafone Group Public Limited (NASDAQ:VOD) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Vodafone Group Public Limited (NASDAQ:VOD - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company.

A number of analysts have weighed in on VOD shares. DZ Bank raised shares of Vodafone Group Public from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vodafone Group Public from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Bank of America cut shares of Vodafone Group Public from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Vodafone Group Public in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vodafone Group Public

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in Vodafone Group Public by 65.5% in 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Vodafone Group Public in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. NBC Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group Public by 116,833.3% in the 1st quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 3,508 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 3,505 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group Public by 63.7% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,881 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,899 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC grew its position in Vodafone Group Public by 258.0% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 5,180 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 3,733 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.84% of the company's stock.

Vodafone Group Public Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VOD traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $9.98. 10,630,934 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,706,394. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $9.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.04. The stock has a market cap of $24.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.75, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.58. Vodafone Group Public has a one year low of $8.00 and a one year high of $10.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Vodafone Group Public Cuts Dividend

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

Vodafone Group Public Company Profile

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.