Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Strong-Buy Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Monday.

VIV has been the topic of several other reports. Scotiabank cut their target price on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $20.80 to $18.40 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays upgraded shares of Telefônica Brasil from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $23.60 to $23.00 in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $9.20 to $10.30 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $17.23.

Telefônica Brasil Trading Down 0.6%

VIV opened at $10.04 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $14.08 and its 200-day moving average is $16.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Telefônica Brasil has a 1-year low of $7.47 and a 1-year high of $10.41. The company has a market cap of $16.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.94, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.73.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.12 by ($0.01). Telefônica Brasil had a return on equity of 7.77% and a net margin of 9.78%. The business had revenue of $2.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.41 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Telefônica Brasil will post 0.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Telefônica Brasil Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th were given a $0.043 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 25th. This is an increase from Telefônica Brasil’s previous dividend of $0.02. Telefônica Brasil’s payout ratio is 42.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 39.3% in the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 3,783 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 67.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,818 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,543 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 86.4% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,169 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,933 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 337.7% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,233 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 3,266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.16% of the company’s stock.

Telefônica Brasil Company Profile

Telefônica Brasil SA, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a mobile telecommunications company in Brazil. Its fixed line services portfolio includes local, domestic long-distance, and international long-distance calls; and mobile portfolio comprises voice and broadband internet access through 3G, 4G, 4.5G, and 5G, as well as mobile value-added and wireless roaming services.