Brasil Telecom, OdontoPrev, Petrobras: Latin Equity Preview

By William Freebairn and Alexander Ragir

July 16 (Bloomberg) -- The following stocks may have significant gains or losses in Latin American markets. Symbols are in parentheses after company names, and stock prices are from the last session.

The MSCI index of Latin American shares declined 0.7 percent to 4,358.76 yesterday. In Brazil, preferred shares are the most commonly traded class of stock.

Brazil

Brasil Telecom Participacoes SA (BRTP4 BS): The country's third-biggest fixed-line telephone company said second-quarter net income rose 75 percent to 254.4 million reais ($160.2 million) as it added Internet and mobile-phone customers. Net revenue rose 2.9 percent to 2.82 billion reais, the company said in a regulatory filing yesterday. Brasil Telecom rose 3.1 percent to 23 reais.

OdontoPrev SA (ODPV3 BS): The Brazilian dental-care company's second-quarter results to be reported Aug. 8 will show margin expansion and 18 percent growth in net revenue from the year before, Itau Corretora de Valores SA analyst Marcio Osako wrote in a note to clients yesterday. OdontoPrev gained 2.5 percent to 40.99 reais.

Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4 BS): Brazil's state-controlled oil company said it had record total production of 2.42 million barrels of oil and gas equivalent per day in June. Petrobras, as the company is known, said yesterday in an e-mailed statement that total daily output was 3.3 percent higher than its June 2007 production and 2.3 percent more than in May 2008. Petrobras fell 0.8 percent to 40.55 reais.

Chile

Cia. Cervecerias Unidas SA (CCU CC): Chile's largest brewer is trading for less than other beverage companies, creating ``an attractive buying opportunity,'' Banco Santander SA analysts Diego Celedon and Alexander Robarts wrote in a research report e- mailed yesterday. Its profit margin will remain stable this year, and the company will benefit from an acquisition in Argentina, the analysts wrote, citing a meeting with company executives. CCU, as the company is known, fell 1.1 percent to 2,820 pesos.

Mexico

Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico SAB (GAPB MM): Mexico's largest non-state airport operator said yesterday that passenger traffic may fall as much as 1 percent this year, reducing an earlier forecast that traffic would gain as much as 7 percent. The new estimate was ``worse than expected,'' analyst Francisco Guzman of Bank of Nova Scotia said in a phone interview yesterday from Mexico City. Aeroportaurio del Pacifico rose 1.8 percent to 27.80 pesos.

To contact the reporters on this story: William Freebairn in Mexico City at wfreebairn@bloomberg.net; Alexander Ragir in Rio de Janeiro at aragir@bloomberg.net