Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) Sets New 52-Week Low - Time to Sell?

Shares of Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $8.59 and last traded at $8.74, with a volume of 62128 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $8.63.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VIV. Barclays raised Telefônica Brasil from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their price target for the company from $23.60 to $23.00 in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $20.80 to $18.40 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Telefônica Brasil from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $19.93.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Performance

The stock's 50 day moving average price is $16.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.19. The company has a market capitalization of $14.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Telefônica Brasil (NYSE:VIV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.39 billion. Telefônica Brasil had a return on equity of 7.77% and a net margin of 9.78%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Telefônica Brasil S.A. will post 0.6 EPS for the current year.

Telefônica Brasil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th were issued a dividend of $0.043 per share. This is a boost from Telefônica Brasil's previous dividend of $0.02. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 25th. Telefônica Brasil's dividend payout ratio is presently 49.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telefônica Brasil

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Truist Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the fourth quarter valued at about $242,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in Telefônica Brasil by 7.4% in the 4th 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 buying an additional 1,053,218 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $403,000. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $237,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 67.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,818 shares of the Wireless communications provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,543 shares in the last quarter. 5.16% of the stock is owned by 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.