Telefónica (NYSE:TEF) Stock Passes Below 50-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Telefónica, S.A. (NYSE:TEF)’s stock price passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $4.31 and traded as low as $3.94. Telefónica shares last traded at $3.95, with a volume of 734,699 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Hsbc Global Res raised Telefónica to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Telefónica from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Telefónica from a “reduce” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Telefónica Trading Down 1.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $22.40 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.19 and a beta of 0.68. The company’s 50 day moving average is $4.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.81.

Telefónica Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 18th were given a $0.1576 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 18th. This represents a dividend yield of 5.2%. Telefónica’s dividend payout ratio is currently -84.62%.

Institutional Trading of Telefónica

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Telefónica by 3.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 64,522 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 2,332 shares in the last quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Telefónica by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 135,936 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $661,000 after acquiring an additional 2,768 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Telefónica by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 18,975 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 2,936 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC increased its stake in Telefónica by 7.8% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 45,289 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $220,000 after acquiring an additional 3,266 shares during the period. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners raised its position in Telefónica by 11.4% in the third quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 32,150 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 3,290 shares in the last quarter. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.