Traders Purchase Large Volume of Vodafone Group Call Options (NASDAQ:VOD)

Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ:VOD) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 25,216 call options on the company. This is an increase of 1,153% compared to the average daily volume of 2,012 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vodafone Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VOD. Bayban boosted its holdings in Vodafone Group by 6,696.7% during the first quarter. Bayban now owns 2,039 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 2,009 shares during the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vodafone Group during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vodafone Group by 31.5% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,992 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vodafone Group by 207.6% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 3,282 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 2,215 shares during the period. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Vodafone Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 7.84% of the company’s stock.

Vodafone Group Stock Performance

Shares of Vodafone Group stock traded down $0.30 on Tuesday, hitting $16.27. 1,818,037 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,128,850. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $16.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.14. Vodafone Group has a one year low of $11.12 and a one year high of $17.71.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on VOD. New Street Research upgraded Vodafone Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Vodafone Group in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Vodafone Group from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. Zacks Research cut shares of Vodafone Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vodafone Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vodafone Group currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $10.57.

About Vodafone Group

Vodafone Group Plc is a telecommunications company headquartered in the United Kingdom. It provides mobile voice and data services, fixed-line broadband, digital television and related communications services to consumers and businesses.

The company also serves enterprise customers through Vodafone Business, offering connectivity, cloud and hosting services, cybersecurity, unified communications, and Internet of Things solutions. Vodafone’s operations and partnerships span several European markets and countries in Africa, with services delivered through mobile and fixed networks.

Vodafone traces its origins to the mobile telecommunications business of Racal Electronics and became an independent company in 1991.