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

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

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on VIV. Barclays cut their target price on Telefônica Brasil from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley raised Telefônica Brasil from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Telefônica Brasil presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $11.17.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Performance

NYSE:VIV opened at $8.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Telefônica Brasil has a 1 year low of $8.02 and a 1 year high of $11.43. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $8.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $9.52. The company has a market cap of $14.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.89, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.79.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $2.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the company posted $0.14 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Telefônica Brasil will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Telefônica Brasil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a — dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 29th. Investors of record on Friday, January 1st were given a dividend of $0.0617 per share. This is a positive change from Telefônica Brasil’s previous — dividend of $0.02. This represents a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 29th. Telefônica Brasil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.03%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIV. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Telefônica Brasil by 2,821.8% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,214 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 3,104 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil during the 2nd quarter worth about $83,000. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil during the 2nd quarter worth about $85,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil during the 1st quarter worth about $123,000. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil during the 4th quarter worth about $136,000. 5.16% of the stock is 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.