Quantbot Technologies LP Acquires 42,001 Shares of Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV)

Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil S.A. (NYSE:VIV) by 164.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 67,600 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 42,001 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Telefônica Brasil were worth $510,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Summit Global Investments grew its position in Telefônica Brasil by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 137,909 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $1,041,000 after purchasing an additional 1,506 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Telefônica Brasil by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 88,571 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock valued at $669,000 after acquiring an additional 2,784 shares during the period. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda acquired a new position in Telefônica Brasil in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $120,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Telefônica Brasil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $403,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in shares of Telefônica Brasil by 150.6% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 45,450 shares of the Wireless communications provider’s stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 27,315 shares in the last quarter. 5.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Telefônica Brasil Stock Up 0.4 %

VIV opened at $8.77 on Friday. Telefônica Brasil S.A. has a twelve month low of $7.47 and a twelve month high of $10.41. The firm has a market cap of $14.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.93, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $8.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $8.86. 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) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.39 billion. Telefônica Brasil had a net margin of 9.78% and a return on equity of 7.77%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Telefônica Brasil S.A. will post 0.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Telefônica Brasil Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th were given a $0.0215 dividend. This is an increase from Telefônica Brasil’s previous dividend of $0.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 25th. Telefônica Brasil’s payout ratio is presently 50.82%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VIV has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Telefônica Brasil from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Barclays upgraded shares of Telefônica Brasil from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $11.80 to $11.50 in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. New Street Research lowered shares of Telefônica Brasil from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Telefônica Brasil from $10.40 to $9.20 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Telefônica Brasil from $10.60 to $9.20 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $9.97.

About Telefônica Brasil

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.