The Goldman Sachs Group Downgrades Vodafone Group Public (NASDAQ:VOD) to Neutral

The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Vodafone Group Public (NASDAQ:VOD) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note released on Monday morning, MarketBeat.com reports.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vodafone Group Public from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vodafone Group Public presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Vodafone Group Public Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VOD opened at $8.92 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $23.00 billion, a PE ratio of 8.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.77. Vodafone Group Public has a 12 month low of $8.02 and a 12 month high of $10.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.38.

Vodafone Group Public Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd will be given a $0.2423 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 8%. Vodafone Group Public’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.86%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vodafone Group Public

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VOD. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Vodafone Group Public by 116.7% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,903 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 2,102 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its position in Vodafone Group Public by 630.9% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 4,634 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its position in Vodafone Group Public by 1,493.2% during the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 4,700 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 4,405 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its position in Vodafone Group Public by 37.8% during the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 5,516 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 1,513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in Vodafone Group Public during the second quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 7.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vodafone Group Public Company Profile

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.