Telefonica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Telefonica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV) has been given an average recommendation of “Reduce” by the eleven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $14.36.

Several research analysts have commented on the company. New Street Research raised Telefonica Brasil from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. UBS Group lowered Telefonica Brasil from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Telefonica Brasil from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Zacks Research lowered Telefonica Brasil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Telefonica Brasil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th.

Telefonica Brasil Price Performance

Telefonica Brasil stock opened at $13.24 on Monday. Telefonica Brasil has a 52-week low of $10.79 and a 52-week high of $17.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $13.87 and a 200-day moving average of $14.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.90, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.17 by ($0.02). Telefonica Brasil had a net margin of 10.49% and a return on equity of 9.32%. The business had revenue of $2.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.98 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Telefonica Brasil will post 0.97 EPS for the current year.

Telefonica Brasil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.4562 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. Telefonica Brasil’s dividend payout ratio is 37.84%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telefonica Brasil

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIV. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Telefonica Brasil by 337.7% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,233 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 3,266 shares in the last quarter. Arax Advisory Partners grew its stake in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 54.4% during the fourth quarter. Arax Advisory Partners now owns 3,773 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,330 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Telefonica Brasil during the first quarter valued at about $52,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 214.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,766 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 3,248 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Telefonica Brasil during the fourth quarter worth about $110,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 5.16% of the company’s stock.

About Telefonica Brasil

Telefônica Brasil SA, commonly marketed under the Vivo brand, is one of Brazil’s largest telecommunications providers, offering a broad range of consumer and enterprise communications services. The company’s core activities include mobile voice and data services, fixed-line telephony, broadband internet (including fiber-to-the-home), and pay-TV solutions. It also provides ICT and managed services for business customers, such as cloud, data center, connectivity, Internet of Things (IoT) and security solutions.

Vivo operates a nationwide network across Brazil and serves both individual consumers and corporate clients.