Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $19.93.

Several research firms recently issued reports on VIV. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Telefônica Brasil from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays upgraded Telefônica Brasil from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $23.60 to $23.00 in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Telefônica Brasil from $21.20 to $18.40 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price objective 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telefônica Brasil

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC now owns 82,053 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $620,000 after purchasing an additional 1,086 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Telefônica Brasil by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 33,370 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $343,000 after buying an additional 1,136 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments boosted its position in Telefônica Brasil by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 137,909 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $1,041,000 after buying an additional 1,506 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Telefônica Brasil by 67.8% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,818 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,543 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in Telefônica Brasil by 0.9% during the 4th 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. Institutional investors own 5.16% of the company's stock.

Telefônica Brasil Price Performance

NYSE:VIV traded down $8.52 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $9.06. 994,044 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 844,054. The business has a 50 day moving average of $17.16 and a 200 day moving average of $17.31. Telefônica Brasil has a 1-year low of $7.47 and a 1-year high of $10.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $14.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.60.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.02. Telefônica Brasil had a return on equity of 7.77% and a net margin of 9.78%. The company had revenue of $2.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.39 billion. Research analysts forecast that Telefônica Brasil 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 dividend of $0.043 per share. 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 is 49.18%.

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.