Vodafone Group PLC $VOD Shares Sold by Kestra Advisory Services LLC

Kestra Advisory Services LLC lowered its stake in Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD) by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 210,687 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock after selling 33,184 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Vodafone Group were worth $3,403,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VOD. Ascent Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Vodafone Group by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 12,859 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220 shares during the period. Trek Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vodafone Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $295,000. Boit C F David purchased a new position in shares of Vodafone Group during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Profund Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vodafone Group by 12.1% during the third quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 38,797 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $627,000 after buying an additional 4,175 shares during the period. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. raised its stake in Vodafone Group by 64.9% in the third quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 141,977 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $2,293,000 after buying an additional 55,854 shares in the last quarter. 7.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Vodafone Group Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of VOD stock traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $15.37. 4,203,993 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,520,224. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $16.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.04. Vodafone Group PLC has a 12 month low of $11.71 and a 12 month high of $17.71.

Vodafone Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $0.2588 per share. This represents a yield of 334.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 20th.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on VOD. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vodafone Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Vodafone Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. DZ Bank reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Vodafone Group from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.13.

About Vodafone Group

Vodafone Group is a telecommunications company headquartered in the United Kingdom. It provides mobile and fixed-line connectivity, broadband, voice and data services to consumers, businesses and public-sector organizations. The company also offers business technology services, including Internet of Things connectivity and digital solutions. Its operations and services span Europe and Africa, with Vodacom serving as a major part of its African business, and it works with partner networks to serve customers in other markets.