PLDT (NYSE:PHI) Announces Earnings Results

PLDT (NYSE:PHI) released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The technology company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, Zacks reports. PLDT had a net margin of 14.67% and a return on equity of 28.96%.

PLDT Stock Up 3.1%

Shares of PLDT stock traded up $0.60 on Tuesday, hitting $19.86. 9,350 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 84,821. PLDT has a 52-week low of $18.61 and a 52-week high of $25.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16. The stock has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.66, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.63. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $19.22 and its 200 day moving average is $21.36.

PLDT Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 27th were given a $0.8414 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 530.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 27th. This is a positive change from PLDT’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.81. PLDT’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.10%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in PLDT by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,488,014 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,379,000 after purchasing an additional 59,763 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in shares of PLDT by 227.9% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 77,493 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,695,000 after buying an additional 53,861 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in PLDT by 20.4% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 181,574 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,951,000 after buying an additional 30,803 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in PLDT by 106.8% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 53,776 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,176,000 after acquiring an additional 27,769 shares during the period. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its stake in PLDT by 46.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 44,836 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $976,000 after acquiring an additional 14,324 shares in the last quarter. 2.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

PHI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of PLDT in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group cut PLDT from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded PLDT from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

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.