PLDT (NYSE:PHI) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Strong-Buy Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of PLDT (NYSE:PHI) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

PLDT Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:PHI opened at $24.71 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $22.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.18. PLDT has a 1 year low of $21.00 and a 1 year high of $30.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.68.

PLDT Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a $0.812 dividend. This represents a yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. PLDT’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.61%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PHI. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in PLDT by 19.8% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,536,883 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,042,000 after purchasing an additional 254,110 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in PLDT by 1,189.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 138,992 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,079,000 after purchasing an additional 128,213 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in PLDT by 655.5% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 105,364 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,334,000 after purchasing an additional 91,418 shares during the last quarter. Allianz SE acquired a new position in PLDT in the 4th quarter valued at $906,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in PLDT by 40.7% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 113,316 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,510,000 after purchasing an additional 32,791 shares during the last quarter. 2.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

PLDT Company Profile

PLDT Inc provides telecommunications and digital services in the Philippines. The company operates through three segments: Wireless, Fixed Line, and Others. It offers cellular mobile, Internet broadband distribution, operations support, software development, and satellite information and messaging services; and sells Wi-Fi access equipment.