Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) Hits New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Shares of Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $10.46 and last traded at $10.37, with a volume of 4221560 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.29.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VIV has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Telefônica Brasil from $9.20 to $10.30 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on 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. Barclays upgraded Telefônica Brasil from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $23.60 to $23.00 in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Telefônica Brasil from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $17.23.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $17.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50-day moving average of $11.84 and a 200-day moving average of $15.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.41 billion. Telefônica Brasil had a return on equity of 7.77% and a net margin of 9.78%. On average, sell-side 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 25th were given 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%.

Institutional Trading of Telefônica Brasil

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VIV. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil during the first quarter worth $7,147,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 283.2% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 592,234 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $4,471,000 after purchasing an additional 437,678 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 2.8% during the first quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 15,613,608 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $136,151,000 after purchasing an additional 420,973 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 151.9% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 686,792 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $5,185,000 after purchasing an additional 414,193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 36.4% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,445,527 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $12,605,000 after purchasing an additional 385,848 shares during the last quarter. 5.16% of the stock is currently owned by 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.