Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,180,000 shares, a decrease of 20.8% from the December 15th total of 1,490,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 868,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Telefônica Brasil from $10.60 to $9.20 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $11.50 to $11.80 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $9.20 to $10.40 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Telefônica Brasil from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Finally, New Street Research lowered shares of Telefônica Brasil from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $10.47.

Telefônica Brasil Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:VIV traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $8.07. 1,343,412 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,011,801. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.80, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.96. The company has a fifty day moving average of $8.26 and a 200 day moving average of $8.95. Telefônica Brasil has a 12 month low of $7.47 and a 12 month high of $11.43.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telefônica Brasil

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 41.1% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 264,413 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $2,716,000 after acquiring an additional 77,005 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Telefônica Brasil by 49.0% in 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 purchasing an additional 385,207 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the 2nd quarter worth about $842,000. Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 14.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 275,569 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil during the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,135,000. 5.16% of the stock is currently owned by 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.