Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Saturday.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on VIV. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $20.80 to $18.40 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays raised Telefônica Brasil from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $23.60 to $23.00 in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $9.20 to $10.30 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $17.23.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE VIV traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $10.38. The company had a trading volume of 2,350,504 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,007,388. 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 has a twelve month low of $7.47 and a twelve month high of $10.50. The stock's 50 day moving average is $11.38 and its 200-day moving average is $14.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.15 billion, a PE ratio of 16.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.72.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 will post 0.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Telefônica Brasil Increases Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telefônica Brasil

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 39.3% in the first quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 3,783 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,067 shares in the last quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Telefônica Brasil by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC now owns 82,053 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $620,000 after acquiring an additional 1,086 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments increased its position in Telefônica Brasil by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 137,909 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $1,041,000 after acquiring an additional 1,506 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 195,958 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $1,478,000 after acquiring an additional 1,653 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 20,037 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $151,000 after acquiring an additional 1,873 shares during 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.