StockNews.com Downgrades Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) to Buy

StockNews.com lowered shares of Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on VIV. Morgan Stanley upgraded Telefônica Brasil from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $11.00 to $11.50 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $10.98.

Telefônica Brasil Trading Down 1.2 %

VIV stock opened at $10.00 on Tuesday. Telefônica Brasil has a one year low of $8.02 and a one year high of $11.43. The company has a market capitalization of $16.64 billion, a PE ratio of 15.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.79. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $9.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.14. Telefônica Brasil had a net margin of 9.65% and a return on equity of 7.53%. The business had revenue of $2.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.14 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Telefônica Brasil will post 0.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Telefônica Brasil Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a — dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th were paid a dividend of $0.0379 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.2%. Telefônica Brasil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIV. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 20.3% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 399,318 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $4,021,000 after purchasing an additional 67,414 shares in the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its position in Telefônica Brasil by 38.5% during the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 1,917,010 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $20,972,000 after acquiring an additional 532,794 shares in the last quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 82.7% during the 4th quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. now owns 1,601,608 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $17,517,000 after acquiring an additional 725,072 shares during the period. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. bought a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,208,000. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $650,000. 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.