Vodafone Group Public (NASDAQ:VOD) Sees Large Volume Increase - Here's What Happened

Shares of Vodafone Group Public Limited (NASDAQ:VOD - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 11,314,513 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 40% from the previous session's volume of 8,093,562 shares.The stock last traded at $10.36 and had previously closed at $10.54.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Vodafone Group Public Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.37. The company has a market cap of $25.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.11, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.61. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $9.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.93.

Vodafone Group Public Cuts Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Vodafone Group Public by 512.8% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,396,305 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $13,076,000 after purchasing an additional 1,168,435 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in shares of Vodafone Group Public by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 20,830 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $195,000 after acquiring an additional 3,435 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Vodafone Group Public by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 296,581 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock valued at $2,779,000 after acquiring an additional 5,592 shares during the period. RNC Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Vodafone Group Public by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. RNC Capital Management LLC now owns 44,855 shares of the cell phone carrier's stock worth $420,000 after acquiring an additional 3,621 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Vodafone Group Public during the first quarter valued at approximately $303,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.84% of the company's stock.

About Vodafone Group Public

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.