Telefonica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts

Shares of Telefonica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” by the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $14.66.

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $14.00 price objective on Telefonica Brasil in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Barclays set a $16.00 target price on shares of Telefonica Brasil in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Telefonica Brasil from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Telefonica Brasil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Telefonica Brasil in a report on Monday, May 18th. They set a “sell” rating and a $13.90 price objective for the company.

Telefonica Brasil Stock Performance

Telefonica Brasil stock opened at $11.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.55. Telefonica Brasil has a 1-year low of $11.18 and a 1-year high of $17.25. The company’s 50-day moving average is $12.47 and its 200 day moving average is $14.04.

Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.04). Telefonica Brasil had a net margin of 10.64% and a return on equity of 9.72%. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. Research analysts forecast that Telefonica Brasil will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

Telefonica Brasil Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.4562 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. Telefonica Brasil’s payout ratio is currently 52.56%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Telefonica Brasil by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,094,219 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $36,697,000 after purchasing an additional 237,601 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 22.5% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,672,947 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $21,330,000 after buying an additional 307,501 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,261,713 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $14,964,000 after acquiring an additional 40,932 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 1,042,457 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $12,364,000 after acquiring an additional 26,356 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Telefonica Brasil by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 561,254 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $6,662,000 after acquiring an additional 45,562 shares during the period. 5.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Telefonica Brasil

Telefonica Brasil SA, operating primarily under the Vivo brand, is a telecommunications company serving consumers, businesses and public-sector customers throughout Brazil. The company is a subsidiary of Spain-based Telefónica SA and is headquartered in São Paulo.

Vivo provides mobile voice and data services, wireless connectivity and related digital products. Its portfolio also includes fixed-line broadband, fiber-optic internet, television and other communications services, as well as information technology, cloud, cybersecurity and connectivity solutions for business customers.

The company traces its origins to the restructuring and privatization of Brazil’s telecommunications sector in the late 1990s.