Telefónica (NYSE:TEF) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s Why

Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 487,447 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 36% from the previous session’s volume of 763,875 shares.The stock last traded at $3.93 and had previously closed at $3.89.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on TEF shares. HSBC upgraded shares of Telefónica from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Telefónica from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded Telefónica to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Telefónica Trading Up 1.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $4.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.47. The company has a market cap of $22.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.13 and a beta of 0.68.

Telefónica (NYSE:TEF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.04. Telefónica had a positive return on equity of 10.10% and a negative net margin of 2.84%. The company had revenue of $11.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Telefónica, S.A. will post 0.29 EPS for the current year.

Telefónica Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th were paid a $0.1576 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 18th. Telefónica’s payout ratio is -84.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of TEF. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Telefónica by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,898,978 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,229,000 after acquiring an additional 146,259 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Telefónica by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 397,905 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,600,000 after purchasing an additional 3,688 shares during the period. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Telefónica by 24.7% in the 3rd quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC now owns 387,777 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,885,000 after buying an additional 76,912 shares during the period. Mainstay Capital Management LLC ADV raised its stake in shares of Telefónica by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. Mainstay Capital Management LLC ADV now owns 385,851 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,875,000 after buying an additional 29,059 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Telefónica by 79.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 322,692 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,568,000 after acquiring an additional 142,451 shares during the period. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Telefónica

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.