Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) Sees Large Volume Increase - Time to Buy?

Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 2,220,834 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 128% from the previous session's volume of 973,500 shares.The stock last traded at $10.23 and had previously closed at $10.26.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VIV has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $9.20 to $10.30 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Barclays upgraded shares of Telefônica Brasil from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $23.60 to $23.00 in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Telefônica Brasil from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 7th. Finally, Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $20.80 to $18.40 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $17.23.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $17.60 billion, a PE ratio of 16.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $11.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.92.

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

Telefônica Brasil Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th were issued a $0.043 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 25th. This is an increase from Telefônica Brasil's previous dividend of $0.02. Telefônica Brasil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 91.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telefônica Brasil

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Modern Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the 1st quarter valued at about $423,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 337.7% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,233 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 3,266 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the 1st quarter valued at about $7,147,000. Ascent Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the 1st quarter valued at about $158,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the 1st quarter valued at about $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 5.16% of the company's stock.

Telefônica Brasil Company Profile

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.