Vodafone Group Public Limited (NASDAQ:VOD) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Vodafone Group Public Limited (NASDAQ:VOD) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 16,030,000 shares, a growth of 23.4% from the February 28th total of 12,990,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 10,020,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.6 days. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vodafone Group Public

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group Public by 63.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,881 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899 shares during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Vodafone Group Public by 258.0% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 5,180 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 3,733 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Vodafone Group Public by 509.7% in the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 6,829 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 5,709 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Vodafone Group Public by 912.9% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 7,212 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 6,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. lifted its stake in Vodafone Group Public by 627.3% in the third quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. now owns 9,651 shares of the cell phone carrier’s stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 8,324 shares during the period. 7.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on VOD shares. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Vodafone Group Public from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Vodafone Group Public from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Bank of America cut Vodafone Group Public from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Vodafone Group Public from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vodafone Group Public currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Vodafone Group Public Stock Performance

NASDAQ VOD opened at $9.27 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $21.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.13, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Vodafone Group Public has a 12-month low of $8.00 and a 12-month high of $10.39.

About Vodafone Group Public

Vodafone Group Public Limited Company provides telecommunication services in Europe and internationally. It offers mobile connectivity services comprising end-to-end services for mobile voice and data, messaging, device management, BYOx, and telecoms management, as well as professional and consulting services; and fixed line connectivity, such as fixed voice and data, broadband, software-defined networks, managed WAN, LAN, ethernet, and satellite; and financial services, as well as business and merchant services.