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

Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.23.

VIV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Telefônica Brasil from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 3rd. Barclays raised 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 research report on Monday, March 3rd. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $9.20 to $10.30 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Performance

VIV traded up $0.09 during trading on Thursday, hitting $9.89. 547,548 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 821,868. 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 stock's fifty day moving average is $14.50 and its 200 day moving average is $16.20. Telefônica Brasil has a one year low of $7.47 and a one year high of $10.41. The firm has a market cap of $16.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.73.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $2.39 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Telefônica Brasil will post 0.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Telefônica Brasil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders 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 is currently 42.62%.

Institutional Trading of Telefônica Brasil

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in Telefônica Brasil by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 15,192,635 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $114,704,000 after buying an additional 1,053,218 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 283.2% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 592,234 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $4,471,000 after buying an additional 437,678 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in Telefônica Brasil by 151.9% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 686,792 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $5,185,000 after buying an additional 414,193 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 67.6% in the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 912,148 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock worth $6,887,000 after acquiring an additional 367,975 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,749,000. Institutional investors 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.