Telefonica Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:TEF)

Telefonica SA (NYSE:TEF) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors bought 4,422 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 2,771% compared to the average volume of 154 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on TEF shares. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Telefonica in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Telefonica from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, DZ Bank downgraded shares of Telefonica from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telefonica

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Townsquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Telefonica by 38.8% during the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 67,901 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $273,000 after buying an additional 18,988 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Telefonica by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 36,154 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $145,000 after purchasing an additional 6,100 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Telefonica by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,429,565 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,747,000 after purchasing an additional 66,797 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Telefonica by 179.2% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 281,932 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 180,945 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Telefonica by 576.6% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 13,316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 11,348 shares during the last quarter. 1.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Telefonica Price Performance

NYSE TEF traded up $0.07 during trading on Monday, hitting $5.22. 111,344 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 689,860. The company has a market capitalization of $29.57 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.46. Telefonica has a 12-month low of $3.89 and a 12-month high of $5.48. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Telefonica (NYSE:TEF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The utilities provider reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.06 billion. Telefonica had a negative net margin of 4.52% and a positive return on equity of 9.30%. As a group, analysts predict that Telefonica will post 0.3 EPS for the current year.

Telefonica Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be paid a $0.1703 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 18th. This represents a yield of 4.5%. This is a boost from Telefonica’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.16. Telefonica’s dividend payout ratio is -65.79%.

About Telefonica

Telefónica, SA, together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services in Europe and Latin America. The company offers mobile and related services and products, such as mobile voice, value added, mobile data and internet, wholesale, corporate, roaming, fixed wireless, and trunking and paging services.