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

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

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on VIV. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $11.50 to $11.80 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. New Street Research lowered Telefônica Brasil from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Telefônica Brasil from $9.20 to $10.40 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $10.60 to $9.20 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $10.47.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Performance

NYSE:VIV opened at $7.69 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $12.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.96. Telefônica Brasil has a 52 week low of $7.47 and a 52 week high of $11.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.18 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Telefônica Brasil will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Telefônica Brasil by 67.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,818 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 1,543 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Telefônica Brasil by 87.5% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 6,026 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,812 shares in the last quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the 3rd quarter worth about $134,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 30.2% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,094 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 3,039 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Affirmative Financial Network acquired a new stake in Telefônica Brasil during the 3rd quarter valued at $160,000. 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.