Aberdeen Group plc Increases Stock Position in Telefonica Brasil S.A. $VIV

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc has increased its stake in Telefonica Brasil S.A. by 4.2%, acquiring an additional 114,849 shares, bringing its total holdings to approximately 2.84 million shares valued at $24.8 million.
• Telefonica Brasil's recent earnings report revealed an EPS of $0.15, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16, with quarterly revenues reported at $2.62 billion.
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Hold" on Telefonica Brasil, with target prices ranging from $12.50 to $13.00, following recent upgrades and downgrades from various brokerages.

Aberdeen Group plc raised its holdings in shares of Telefonica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,844,839 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock after acquiring an additional 114,849 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.17% of Telefonica Brasil worth $24,807,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Telefonica Brasil by 39.3% during the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 3,783 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,067 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in Telefonica Brasil by 337.7% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,233 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 3,266 shares in the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Telefonica Brasil during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Telefonica Brasil by 1,429.4% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 8,534 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 7,976 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 984.5% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 9,251 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 8,398 shares in the last quarter. 5.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Telefonica Brasil Trading Up 0.4%

VIV traded up $0.0450 during trading on Thursday, hitting $12.4350. 671,560 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,319,926. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Telefonica Brasil S.A. has a 1 year low of $7.47 and a 1 year high of $12.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $11.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.23. The firm has a market cap of $20.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.71.

Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 28th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.01). Telefonica Brasil had a return on equity of 8.32% and a net margin of 10.13%.The business had revenue of $2.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.48 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Telefonica Brasil S.A. will post 0.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on VIV shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Telefonica Brasil from $11.40 to $12.60 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $13.00 price target (up from $12.50) on shares of Telefonica Brasil in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Telefonica Brasil from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Telefonica Brasil in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Telefonica Brasil from $8.80 to $12.50 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Telefonica Brasil has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $12.70.

About Telefonica 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.