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

Telefonica SA (NYSE:TEF) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Traders bought 4,423 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 12,909% compared to the average volume of 34 call options.

Telefonica Trading Down 0.6%

TEF stock traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $4.03. 479,298 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,457,854. Telefonica has a 52-week low of $3.89 and a 52-week high of $5.72. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $4.28 and its 200-day moving average is $4.92. The company has a market cap of $22.82 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Telefonica (NYSE:TEF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The utilities provider reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.02. Telefonica had a negative net margin of 5.23% and a positive return on equity of 8.54%. The firm had revenue of $10.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Telefonica will post 0.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Telefonica Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.1731 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 17th. This represents a dividend yield of 856.0%. Telefonica’s payout ratio is currently -60.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TEF has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $3.83 price target on shares of Telefonica in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. BNP Paribas raised Telefonica to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Telefonica from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Telefonica in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $4.20 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Telefonica in a report on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Strong Sell” and a consensus price target of $4.02.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telefonica

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its position in shares of Telefonica by 367.7% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 4,897 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 3,850 shares in the last quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. purchased a new stake in Telefonica in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Momentous Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Telefonica during the 3rd quarter valued at $51,000. Wrapmanager Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Telefonica during the 2nd quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC purchased a new position in Telefonica in the second quarter valued at about $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

About Telefonica

Telefónica, SA is a Spanish multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Madrid. Founded in 1924 as Compañía Telefónica Nacional de España, it has grown into one of the world’s largest telecommunications groups. Telefónica provides a broad range of communications services to residential and business customers, including mobile and fixed-line telephony, broadband internet, and pay-TV. The company also develops and sells network infrastructure and related services to support connectivity at scale.

Beyond traditional voice and data services, Telefónica has expanded into digital and IT services aimed at enterprise customers and public-sector clients.