Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on VIV. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Telefônica Brasil from $9.20 to $10.40 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $11.50 to $11.80 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Telefônica Brasil currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $11.07.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Performance

NYSE VIV opened at $8.21 on Tuesday. 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 fifty-two week low of $8.01 and a fifty-two week high of $11.43. The company has a market cap of $13.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.03, a P/E/G ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.81. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $9.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.08.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. Telefônica Brasil had a return on equity of 7.77% and a net margin of 9.78%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.18 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Telefônica Brasil will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telefônica Brasil

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VIV. Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 14.3% during the 2nd quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 2,206,334 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $18,261,000 after acquiring an additional 275,569 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,828,800 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $15,014,000 after acquiring an additional 197,500 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Telefônica Brasil by 6.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,222,562 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $12,311,000 after purchasing an additional 72,388 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 49.0% during the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,171,789 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $12,034,000 after buying an additional 385,207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Telefônica Brasil by 12.9% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 710,107 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $5,830,000 after purchasing an additional 81,229 shares during the period. 5.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.