Zacks Research Upgrades Vodafone Group (NASDAQ:VOD) to “Hold”

Vodafone Group (NASDAQ:VOD) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

VOD has been the subject of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Morningstar downgraded Vodafone Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Berenberg Bank reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. UBS Group restated a “sell” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.13.

Vodafone Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VOD opened at $16.28 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.40. Vodafone Group has a 1-year low of $11.21 and a 1-year high of $17.71.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VOD. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. ACR Alpine Capital Research LLC now owns 26,854,952 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $403,361,000 after purchasing an additional 784,305 shares during the period. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC increased its position in Vodafone Group by 45,047.5% during the 3rd quarter. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC now owns 7,018,174 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $113,344,000 after purchasing an additional 7,002,629 shares in the last quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA raised its holdings in Vodafone Group by 3.1% in the first quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA now owns 3,326,511 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $49,964,000 after buying an additional 98,922 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in Vodafone Group by 72.4% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 866,316 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $13,014,000 after buying an additional 363,694 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Vodafone Group by 7,003.0% during the second quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 788,577 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $10,429,000 after buying an additional 777,475 shares in the last quarter. 7.84% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vodafone Group Company Profile

Vodafone Group Plc is a telecommunications company headquartered in Newbury, England. It provides mobile and fixed-line connectivity, broadband, voice and messaging services, digital communications, and related technology solutions to consumers, businesses, and public-sector organizations.

The company operates primarily across Europe and Africa. Its consumer businesses offer mobile plans, home broadband, television and other digital services, while Vodafone Business provides connectivity, cloud, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, unified communications, and managed technology services.