PLDT (NYSE:PHI) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

PLDT Inc. (NYSE:PHI) shares saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 96,501 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 102% from the previous session’s volume of 47,685 shares.The stock last traded at $22.85 and had previously closed at $21.87.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded PLDT from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

PLDT Trading Down 2.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.74 billion, a PE ratio of 8.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.68. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $23.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.24, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.32.

PLDT (NYSE:PHI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 13th. The technology company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. PLDT had a net margin of 12.34% and a return on equity of 22.11%. The company had revenue of $960.62 million during the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that PLDT Inc. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PLDT Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.812 per share. This represents a yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. PLDT’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.66%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PLDT

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of PLDT by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 12,842 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC increased its position in PLDT by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 42,876 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $950,000 after buying an additional 854 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of PLDT by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 15,219 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $337,000 after buying an additional 1,172 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in PLDT by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 11,629 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 1,310 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of PLDT by 49.4% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,396 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 1,453 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.