StockNews.com Upgrades Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) to Strong-Buy

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

VIV has been the subject of a number of other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $10.60 to $9.20 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays raised shares of Telefônica Brasil from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $11.80 to $11.50 in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $10.40 to $9.20 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, New Street Research cut shares of Telefônica Brasil from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $9.97.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VIV opened at $8.53 on Friday. Telefônica Brasil has a 52 week low of $7.47 and a 52 week high of $10.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.53, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.01. Telefônica Brasil had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 7.77%. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.39 billion. On average, analysts expect that Telefônica Brasil will post 0.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telefônica Brasil

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Telefônica Brasil by 67.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,818 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 1,543 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Telefônica Brasil by 86.4% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,169 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,933 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Telefônica Brasil in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Telefônica Brasil in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its position in Telefônica Brasil by 1,429.4% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 8,534 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 7,976 shares during the period. 5.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.