Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $17.23.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on VIV shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Telefônica Brasil from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Barclays upgraded shares of Telefônica Brasil from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $23.60 to $23.00 in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Telefônica Brasil from $9.20 to $10.30 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their target price on Telefônica Brasil from $20.80 to $18.40 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 27th.

Institutional Trading of Telefônica Brasil

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Telefônica Brasil in the 1st quarter worth $423,000. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 337.7% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,233 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 3,266 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the first quarter worth about $7,147,000. Ascent Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil during the first quarter worth about $158,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Telefônica Brasil during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 5.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Performance

VIV traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $10.30. 9,841,098 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 904,116. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.73. Telefônica Brasil has a 52-week low of $7.47 and a 52-week high of $10.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company's fifty day moving average price is $12.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $15.24.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 7.77%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Telefônica Brasil will post 0.6 EPS for the current year.

Telefônica Brasil Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th were given a $0.043 dividend. This is a positive change from Telefônica Brasil's previous dividend of $0.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 25th. Telefônica Brasil's dividend payout ratio is presently 91.80%.

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.