Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $10.47.

Several brokerages recently commented on VIV. New Street Research cut Telefônica Brasil from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays upped their price objective on Telefônica Brasil from $11.50 to $11.80 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Telefônica Brasil from $10.60 to $9.20 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Telefônica Brasil from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VIV opened at $8.84 on Tuesday. Telefônica Brasil has a 12-month low of $7.47 and a 12-month high of $11.43. The company has a market cap of $14.61 billion, a PE ratio of 14.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.03. Telefônica Brasil had a return on equity of 7.77% and a net margin of 9.78%. The company had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.18 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Telefônica Brasil will post 0.6 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Telefônica Brasil

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 15,192,635 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $114,704,000 after acquiring an additional 1,053,218 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Telefônica Brasil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,967,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in Telefônica Brasil during the 3rd quarter valued at $5,135,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 49.0% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,171,789 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $12,034,000 after purchasing an additional 385,207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 14.3% in the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 2,206,334 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $18,261,000 after buying an additional 275,569 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.