StockNews.com Downgrades Telefónica (NYSE:TEF) to Hold

Telefónica (NYSE:TEF) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Friday.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on TEF. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Telefónica from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, June 13th. Bank of America lowered shares of Telefónica from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. New Street Research lowered shares of Telefónica from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 5th. Finally, HSBC raised Telefónica from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Telefónica Price Performance

Shares of TEF stock opened at $4.75 on Friday. Telefónica has a 1 year low of $3.71 and a 1 year high of $4.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $4.63 and its 200-day moving average is $4.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -29.69 and a beta of 0.67.

Telefónica (NYSE:TEF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $11.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.85 billion. Telefónica had a positive return on equity of 9.18% and a negative net margin of 1.62%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Telefónica will post 0.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Telefónica by 171.6% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,682 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 3,590 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in Telefónica by 113.9% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 5,888 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 3,135 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in Telefónica during the first quarter worth about $34,000. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Telefónica in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Telefónica during the second quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 1.14% of the company’s stock.

Telefónica Company Profile

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.