Vodafone Group (NASDAQ:VOD) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $14.95 and last traded at $14.91, with a volume of 7234085 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VOD shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vodafone Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research raised shares of Vodafone Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Berenberg Bank raised Vodafone Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vodafone Group has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $72.00.

Vodafone Group Price Performance

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Vodafone Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 5th. Investors of record on Monday, November 24th will be paid a $0.2567 dividend. This represents a yield of 434.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 24th.

Institutional Trading of Vodafone Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vodafone Group by 156.8% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,275 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,389 shares during the last quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 40.8% during the 4th quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 696 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group by 3,455.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 3,449 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 3,352 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of Vodafone Group by 38.0% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,435 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 946 shares during the period. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its holdings in Vodafone Group by 129.6% in the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 3,915 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 2,210 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.84% of the company’s stock.

About Vodafone Group

Vodafone Group plc is a British multinational telecommunications company headquartered in London. It provides a wide range of communications services to consumer and enterprise customers, including mobile voice and data, fixed-line broadband, cable and pay-TV, and wholesale network services. The company also offers business-oriented solutions such as cloud and hosting, managed networks, unified communications, and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and platform services.

Vodafone operates through a combination of wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures and partner arrangements across multiple countries, with a particularly large presence in Europe and in several African markets.