Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Telefonica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV) hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $11.48 and last traded at $11.57, with a volume of 1928528 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $11.64.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on VIV. Wall Street Zen downgraded Telefonica Brasil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Bradesco Corretora cut Telefonica Brasil to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Telefonica Brasil from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Telefonica Brasil from $15.70 to $15.40 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Telefonica Brasil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Telefonica Brasil presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $14.26.

Telefonica Brasil Trading Down 0.2%

The company has a market cap of $18.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.47, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $13.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Telefonica Brasil (NYSE:VIV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. Telefonica Brasil had a return on equity of 9.72% and a net margin of 10.64%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Telefonica Brasil S.A. will post 0.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Telefonica Brasil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a $0.4562 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. Telefonica Brasil’s payout ratio is 78.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Telefonica Brasil

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VIV. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Telefonica Brasil by 337.7% in 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. Arax Advisory Partners grew its holdings in Telefonica Brasil by 54.4% during the 4th quarter. Arax Advisory Partners now owns 3,773 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,330 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Telefonica Brasil during the 1st quarter worth about $52,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Telefonica Brasil by 214.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,766 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 3,248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Telefonica Brasil in the 4th quarter worth about $110,000. 5.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.