$VOD

Analysts made several calls: Goldman Sachs reiterated Tesla as neutral, citing Cybercab's cost benefits. Bernstein kept Apple as outperform, noting market share gains. Baird upgraded Sonida Senior Living to outperform. Morgan Stanley upgraded Shell to overweight, expecting acceleration. Piper Sandler upgraded Simmons First National to overweight. Goldman upgraded Vodafone to buy. B. Riley initiated Infleqtion as buy. William Blair kept Nvidia as outperform, approving its Hugging Face acquisition

Vodafone's stock rose 2.0% after Goldman Sachs upgraded it to Buy from Sell, raising its price target to 155 pence. Morgan Stanley also increased its price target to 125 pence. The upgrades follow VodafoneThree's new TV platform launch, driving the stock to a 52-week high of 125.15p.

VodafoneThree launched Vodafone TV, a 4K streaming box with Dolby Vision/Atmos, Android TV, and 302 cloud games. It offers live TV, Netflix, HBO Max, and more, with AI search and Google Assistant. Pricing is unannounced; availability starts October for broadband/mobile plan customers. Vodafone TV competes with Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Sky Stream.

Vodafone launched Vodafone TV, a hub integrating streaming (Netflix, HBO Max), live TV, gaming, and apps. It offers AI search, 4K quality, and a companion app for mobile viewing. Available October for broadband/mobile customers, it bundles TV with mobile services.

VodafoneThree, formed from the merger of Vodafone and Three, introduced a premium 5G service called SuperMobile, costing up to £12 extra monthly. This service guarantees faster speeds and better coverage in busy areas. The company plans to invest £11 billion in network improvements, aiming to enhance overall connectivity in the UK.

VodafoneThree launched SuperMobile, a 5G+ network slice service offering faster speeds and a minimum speed guarantee. The service is priced at an additional £3-£12 per month. Vodafone also introduced Vodafone TV, an entertainment hub with live and on-demand content. The company aims to deliver 5G+ coverage to 99% of the UK by 2030, despite recent criticisms of poor mobile coverage in London.

VodafoneThree launched a 5G SA slicing service portfolio in the UK, offering faster speeds, guaranteed minimum speeds, and enhanced security for consumers and enterprises. The service, branded as SuperMobile, includes dedicated slices for businesses and critical services. The company also introduced Vodafone TV, an internet-based entertainment platform. VodafoneThree is set to be absorbed by Vodafone in a £4.3 billion takeover.

UK's FTSE 100 closed 0.7% higher at 10,832 on Thursday, driven by stable bond markets, higher commodity prices, and strong services sector data. Endeavour Mining and Fresnillo gained 3.6% and 2.9%, respectively, while Vodafone Group PLC rose 2.4% after a new service launch. Reckitt, ConvaTec, Admiral, and Haleon were among the top decliners.

Vodafone Group (VOD) rose after announcing a new TV service and mobile offering. Glencore (GLEN) and Anglo American (AAL) gained with copper prices. Aviva and Admiral fell, trading ex-dividend.

VodafoneThree launched a premium 5G service, SuperMobile, offering speeds up to four times faster than standard plans and guaranteed minimum speeds of 15 Mbps. The service is available at an extra charge for contract customers. The company claims the upgrade is possible due to its expanded spectrum holdings following the merger of Vodafone and Three. VodafoneThree also announced a new TV entertainment hub.