Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Here's What Happened

Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as $9.80 and last traded at $9.84, with a volume of 22804 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $9.89.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VIV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Telefônica Brasil from $20.80 to $18.40 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Telefônica Brasil from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $9.20 to $10.30 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Telefônica Brasil from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $23.60 to $23.00 in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $17.23.

Telefônica Brasil Trading Up 2.2%

The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $12.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.30. The stock has a market cap of $16.77 billion, a PE ratio of 16.11, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.12 by ($0.01). Telefônica Brasil had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 7.77%. The firm had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.41 billion. Equities analysts expect that Telefônica Brasil S.A. will post 0.6 EPS for the current year.

Telefônica Brasil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th were given a dividend of $0.043 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 25th. This is a positive change from Telefônica Brasil's previous dividend of $0.02. Telefônica Brasil's payout ratio is 91.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telefônica Brasil

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VIV. Modern Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Telefônica Brasil in the first quarter worth $423,000. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Telefônica 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 buying an additional 3,266 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Telefônica Brasil in the 1st quarter valued at about $7,147,000. Ascent Group LLC bought a new position in Telefônica Brasil in the 1st quarter worth about $158,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil during the first quarter worth approximately $52,000. 5.16% of the stock is currently 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.