Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Strong-Buy Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

VIV has been the topic of a number of other reports. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Telefonica Brasil in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $14.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Telefonica Brasil from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, January 11th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $14.50 price objective on shares of Telefonica Brasil in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Telefonica Brasil from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $13.12.

Telefonica Brasil Trading Up 5.2%

NYSE VIV opened at $16.38 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Telefonica Brasil has a 12 month low of $8.09 and a 12 month high of $16.34. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $12.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.64 billion, a PE ratio of 24.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.71.

Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter. Telefonica Brasil had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 8.67%. On average, analysts expect that Telefonica Brasil will post 0.6 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telefonica Brasil

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIV. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 337.7% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,233 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 3,266 shares during the period. Westfuller Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Telefonica Brasil in the third quarter valued at approximately $59,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 214.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,766 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 3,248 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Telefonica Brasil by 45.7% in the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,163 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 1,619 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Telefonica Brasil during the first quarter worth $52,000. 5.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Telefonica Brasil Company Profile

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.