Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 16,740,000 shares, agrowthof77,760.5% from the June 30th total of 21,500 shares. Approximately0.7% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 14,250,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days. Based on an average daily volume of 14,250,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.2 days. Approximately0.7% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Vodafone Group Price Performance

Shares of Vodafone Group stock opened at $10.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $28.71 billion, a PE ratio of 9.61, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $10.60 and a 200 day moving average of $9.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. Vodafone Group has a 12 month low of $8.00 and a 12 month high of $11.66.

Vodafone Group Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were given a $0.2355 dividend. This represents a yield of 660.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. Vodafone Group’s payout ratio is currently 42.98%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vodafone Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fourpath Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Vodafone Group by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fourpath Capital Management LLC now owns 21,225 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $226,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 1.6% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 77,232 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $823,000 after acquiring an additional 1,210 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group by 65.5% in the 1st quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 3,159 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,250 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 89,967 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $949,000 after purchasing an additional 1,288 shares during the period. Finally, Brucke Financial Inc. raised its position in Vodafone Group by 9.8% in the 1st quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. now owns 14,700 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $143,000 after purchasing an additional 1,308 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.84% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on VOD. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vodafone Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Vodafone Group to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Vodafone Group from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $136.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Vodafone Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vodafone Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $136.00.

About Vodafone Group

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.