Scotiabank Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) Stock

Key Points

• Scotiabank raised its target on Telefonica Brasil from $12.50 to $15.30 while keeping a "sector perform" rating, implying only about a 0.09% upside from the stock's midday price (~$15.29).
• Analysts are mixed—ranging from upgrades (Weiss, Zacks) to downgrades (UBS, Bank of America), and MarketBeat shows an overall average rating of Hold with an average target price of $13.98.
• Telefonica Brasil trades near $15.29 with a market cap of $24.87 billion and a PE of 21.86, sitting in a 12‑month range of $8.19–$16.95.

Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by investment analysts at Scotiabank from $12.50 to $15.30 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "sector perform" rating on the Wireless communications provider's stock. Scotiabank's price target indicates a potential upside of 0.09% from the company's current price.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on VIV. Weiss Ratings raised Telefonica Brasil from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Bank of America started coverage on Telefonica Brasil in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $14.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lowered Telefonica Brasil from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $14.50 to $16.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Zacks Research upgraded Telefonica Brasil from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, UBS Group cut Telefonica Brasil from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $13.98.

Telefonica Brasil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VIV traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $15.29. 236,056 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 940,823. Telefonica Brasil has a 12 month low of $8.19 and a 12 month high of $16.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $15.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.41. The firm has a market cap of $24.87 billion, a PE ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.68.

Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $2.83 billion during the quarter. Telefonica Brasil had a net margin of 10.42% and a return on equity of 9.15%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Telefonica Brasil will post 0.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telefonica Brasil

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VIV. AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new position in Telefonica Brasil during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,066,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Telefonica Brasil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,185,000. Carrera Capital Advisors raised its stake in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 2,420.5% during the third quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 344,055 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $4,387,000 after buying an additional 330,405 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in Telefonica Brasil in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,173,000. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in Telefonica Brasil by 11.4% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 17,000,115 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $216,751,000 after buying an additional 1,735,958 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.16% of the company's stock.

Telefonica Brasil Company Profile

Telefônica Brasil SA, commonly marketed under the Vivo brand, is one of Brazil's largest telecommunications providers, offering a broad range of consumer and enterprise communications services. The company's core activities include mobile voice and data services, fixed-line telephony, broadband internet (including fiber-to-the-home), and pay-TV solutions. It also provides ICT and managed services for business customers, such as cloud, data center, connectivity, Internet of Things (IoT) and security solutions.

Vivo operates a nationwide network across Brazil and serves both individual consumers and corporate clients.

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