Telefónica (NYSE:TEF) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Telefónica (NYSE:TEF) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. New Street Research downgraded Telefónica from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, July 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Telefónica from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Thursday, June 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Telefónica has a consensus rating of Hold.

Telefónica Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE TEF opened at $4.54 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $4.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.29. Telefónica has a 52-week low of $3.71 and a 52-week high of $4.80. The company has a market cap of $25.71 billion, a PE ratio of -28.34 and a beta of 0.68.

Telefónica (NYSE:TEF) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The utilities provider reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $11.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.96 billion. Telefónica had a negative net margin of 1.57% and a positive return on equity of 7.84%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Telefónica will post 0.34 EPS for the current year.

Telefónica Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 18th were issued a dividend of $0.1628 per share. This represents a yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 18th. Telefónica’s dividend payout ratio is presently -143.75%.

Institutional Trading of Telefónica

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Telefónica by 171.6% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,682 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 3,590 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in Telefónica by 113.9% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 5,888 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 3,135 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Telefónica during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. D Orazio & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Telefónica in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Telefónica in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Hedge funds and other 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.