Telefónica (NYSE:TEF) Stock Price Down 2.6%

Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF)’s stock price fell 2.6% on Friday . The company traded as low as $4.18 and last traded at $4.20. 177,968 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 743,172 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.31.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on TEF shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Telefónica from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Telefónica from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Telefónica currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Telefónica Trading Down 2.3 %

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $4.46 and its 200-day moving average is $4.23. The company has a market cap of $23.87 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.31 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

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

Telefónica Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 18th will be paid a $0.1628 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 18th. Telefónica’s dividend payout ratio is currently -143.75%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telefónica

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TEF. Mainstay Capital Management LLC ADV bought a new position in Telefónica during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,200,000. Intelligence Driven Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in Telefónica by 50.1% in the fourth quarter. Intelligence Driven Advisers LLC now owns 23,645 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 7,895 shares during the last quarter. EWA LLC purchased a new stake in Telefónica during the 4th quarter valued at $85,000. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Telefónica by 121.4% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 44,488 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $174,000 after buying an additional 24,395 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Counselors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Telefónica in the 4th quarter worth $49,000. 1.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.