Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts

Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF) has received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on TEF shares. HSBC raised shares of Telefónica from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Hsbc Global Res raised Telefónica to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Telefónica from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th.

Telefónica Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Telefónica stock opened at $4.03 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $4.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.48. Telefónica has a 12-month low of $3.82 and a 12-month high of $4.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Telefónica Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th were paid a dividend of $0.1576 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 18th. This represents a dividend yield of 5.2%. Telefónica’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -84.62%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telefónica

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TEF. Nia Impact Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Telefónica in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,645,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Telefónica by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 308,396 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,499,000 after buying an additional 24,854 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Telefónica by 274.0% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 316,566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,539,000 after acquiring an additional 231,919 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Telefónica in the third quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Telefónica by 7.8% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 45,289 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 3,266 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

About Telefónica

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.