Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts

Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on TEF. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Telefónica to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. HSBC raised Telefónica from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Telefónica from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th.

Telefónica Price Performance

TEF opened at $4.06 on Wednesday. Telefónica has a 1 year low of $3.82 and a 1 year high of $4.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $23.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.62 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $4.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.53.

Telefónica Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.1576 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 18th. This represents a yield of 5.2%. Telefónica’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -84.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telefónica

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Telefónica by 171.1% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 33,686 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $149,000 after buying an additional 21,260 shares during the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Telefónica during the 2nd quarter valued at $45,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Telefónica by 21.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 115,212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 20,393 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Telefónica by 295.9% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 30,200 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 22,572 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Telefónica by 70.9% in the 2nd quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 39,299 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $165,000 after acquiring an additional 16,297 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Telefónica Company Profile

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.