StockNews.com Lowers Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) to Buy

StockNews.com cut shares of Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Monday morning.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank upped their price target on Telefônica Brasil from $9.20 to $10.40 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Telefônica Brasil from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Telefônica Brasil presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $10.97.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Up 0.1 %

Telefônica Brasil stock opened at $9.41 on Monday. Telefônica Brasil has a twelve month low of $8.02 and a twelve month high of $11.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a 50 day moving average of $9.71 and a 200-day moving average of $9.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.65 billion, a PE ratio of 14.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.80.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last released its earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. Telefônica Brasil had a return on equity of 7.53% and a net margin of 9.65%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Telefônica Brasil will post 0.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Telefônica Brasil Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a — dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were issued a $0.0379 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 27th. Telefônica Brasil’s payout ratio is presently 44.44%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telefônica Brasil

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 19,539 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 1,080 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Telefônica Brasil by 4.1% in the second quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 28,877 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 0.5% in the first quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 330,000 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $3,323,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 2.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 56,552 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 1,558 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 75,756 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $763,000 after acquiring an additional 2,292 shares during the last quarter. 5.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Telefônica Brasil

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.