Vodafone Group Public (NASDAQ:VOD) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Vodafone Group Public Limited (NASDAQ:VOD) shares gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $9.04, but opened at $9.25. Vodafone Group Public shares last traded at $9.30, with a volume of 997,106 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VOD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Vodafone Group Public from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 26th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Vodafone Group Public from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Vodafone Group Public in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Vodafone Group Public Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $9.25 and a 200-day moving average of $8.88. The stock has a market cap of $23.59 billion, a PE ratio of 8.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vodafone Group Public

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VOD. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Vodafone Group Public by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 61,125 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $592,000 after acquiring an additional 2,186 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Vodafone Group Public by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 41,113 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 2,718 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Vodafone Group Public by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 31,173 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $265,000 after buying an additional 4,332 shares in the last quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Vodafone Group Public by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 35,470 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 1,728 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vodafone Group Public during the fourth quarter worth about $1,071,000. 7.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.