Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) Upgraded by StockNews.com to "Strong-Buy" Rating

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of Telefônica Brasil from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $23.60 to $23.00 in a report on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective 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, Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $20.80 to $18.40 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $17.23.

Telefônica Brasil Price Performance

Shares of VIV stock traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $9.82. 1,550,749 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 842,457. Telefônica Brasil has a fifty-two week low of $7.47 and a fifty-two week high of $10.41. The stock's fifty day moving average is $13.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.92. The company has a market cap of $16.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.73. 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 announced its 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). Telefônica Brasil had a return on equity of 7.77% and a net margin of 9.78%. The company had revenue of $2.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.41 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Telefônica Brasil will post 0.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Telefônica Brasil

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VIV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Telefônica Brasil by 50.2% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 63,518 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $652,000 after purchasing an additional 21,235 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Telefônica Brasil by 67.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,818 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,543 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its stake in Telefônica Brasil by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 33,832 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 2,106 shares in the last quarter. Commons Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Telefônica Brasil in the 4th quarter worth about $551,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Telefônica Brasil by 46.4% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,823 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 2,797 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.16% of the company's stock.

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.