Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

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

TEF has been the topic of several analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Telefónica from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, June 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Telefónica from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. New Street Research lowered shares of Telefónica from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 5th. Bank of America lowered shares of Telefónica from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded Telefónica to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telefónica

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TEF. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake 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. increased its stake in Telefónica by 113.9% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 5,888 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 3,135 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Telefónica during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Telefónica in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Telefónica in the second quarter worth approximately $45,000. 1.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Telefónica Stock Up 0.5 %

TEF opened at $4.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Telefónica has a 12-month low of $3.71 and a 12-month high of $4.93. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $4.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.48.

Telefónica (NYSE:TEF) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $11.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.85 billion. Telefónica had a negative net margin of 1.62% and a positive return on equity of 9.18%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Telefónica will post 0.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.