Telefonica Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:TEF)

Telefonica SA (NYSE:TEF) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders acquired 4,422 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 2,771% compared to the average daily volume of 154 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on TEF shares. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Telefonica in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. They set a “market perform” rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Telefonica from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, DZ Bank downgraded shares of Telefonica from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Telefonica Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE TEF traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $5.22. The company had a trading volume of 111,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 689,860. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Telefonica has a 1-year low of $3.89 and a 1-year high of $5.48. The company has a market capitalization of $29.57 billion, a PE ratio of -13.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.46. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.57.

Telefonica (NYSE:TEF) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 14th. The utilities provider reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.06 billion. Telefonica had a negative net margin of 4.52% and a positive return on equity of 9.30%. On average, analysts predict that Telefonica will post 0.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Telefonica Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 18th will be given a dividend of $0.1703 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 4.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 18th. This is an increase from Telefonica’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.16. Telefonica’s payout ratio is currently -65.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telefonica

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in Telefonica by 38.8% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 67,901 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 18,988 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Telefonica by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 36,154 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $145,000 after acquiring an additional 6,100 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Telefonica by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,429,565 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $5,747,000 after acquiring an additional 66,797 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Telefonica by 179.2% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 281,932 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,133,000 after purchasing an additional 180,945 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Telefonica by 576.6% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 13,316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 11,348 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Telefonica 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.