West Family Investments Inc. Buys 3,659 Shares of PLDT Inc. (NYSE:PHI)

West Family Investments Inc. boosted its stake in PLDT Inc. (NYSE:PHI) by 42.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 12,352 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,659 shares during the period. West Family Investments Inc.’s holdings in PLDT were worth $274,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of PLDT in the 4th quarter worth $49,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new position in PLDT in the third quarter valued at about $79,000. Ascent Group LLC purchased a new position in PLDT in the third quarter worth about $218,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of PLDT by 37.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 13,495 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 3,659 shares during the period. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its position in shares of PLDT by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 13,946 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $375,000 after purchasing an additional 1,565 shares during the last quarter. 2.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PLDT Stock Up 0.4 %

PHI opened at $24.71 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.18. The company has a market capitalization of $5.34 billion, a PE ratio of 8.16, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.68. PLDT Inc. has a 1-year low of $21.00 and a 1-year high of $30.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24.

PLDT Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a $0.812 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a yield of 5.4%. PLDT’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of PLDT from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday.

PLDT Profile

PLDT Inc provides telecommunications and digital services in the Philippines. The company operates through three segments: Wireless, Fixed Line, and Others. It offers cellular mobile, Internet broadband distribution, operations support, software development, and satellite information and messaging services; and sells Wi-Fi access equipment.