Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) Rating Lowered to Buy at StockNews.com

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

VIV has been the subject of a number of other reports. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $9.20 to $10.40 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. New Street Research downgraded shares of Telefônica Brasil from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $11.50 to $11.80 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Telefônica Brasil currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.07.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VIV opened at $8.25 on Thursday. 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 12 month low of $8.01 and a 12 month high of $11.43. The company has a market capitalization of $13.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.10, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.78. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $9.08 and its 200 day moving average is $9.05.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.03. Telefônica Brasil had a return on equity of 7.77% and a net margin of 9.78%. The firm had revenue of $2.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.18 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Telefônica Brasil will post 0.63 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telefônica Brasil

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. DGS Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Telefônica Brasil by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 65,781 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $676,000 after acquiring an additional 1,984 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Telefônica Brasil by 5.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 47,321 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $450,000 after purchasing an additional 2,511 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in Telefônica Brasil by 10.4% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 40,462 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 3,820 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,619,000. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its position in Telefônica Brasil by 27.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 326,954 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $3,413,000 after acquiring an additional 70,900 shares during the last quarter. 5.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.