Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) Cut to “Sell” at UBS Group

UBS Group downgraded shares of Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) from a buy rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Telefonica Brasil from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 11th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Telefonica Brasil in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $14.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Telefonica Brasil from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Telefonica Brasil from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.42.

Telefonica Brasil Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE:VIV opened at $15.36 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $24.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 0.68. Telefonica Brasil has a fifty-two week low of $8.19 and a fifty-two week high of $16.95. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.18.

Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.05. Telefonica Brasil had a net margin of 10.42% and a return on equity of 9.15%. The firm had revenue of $2.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.88 billion. Analysts predict that Telefonica Brasil will post 0.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Telefonica Brasil

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Telefonica Brasil by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,802 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 672 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 22,285 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 727 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its position in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 26,638 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 744 shares during the period. BSW Wealth Partners increased its stake in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 36,804 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 770 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aprio Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Telefonica Brasil by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 39,645 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares during the period. 5.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.