Geode Capital Management LLC Sells 11,748 Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Geode Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 402,375 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,748 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ambev were worth $744,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 76.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 52,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 22,880 shares in the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp raised its stake in Ambev by 268.7% in the 3rd quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 52,344 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,000 after acquiring an additional 38,146 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 599,291 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,402,000 after buying an additional 31,408 shares during the period. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Ambev by 58.8% during the fourth quarter. Winthrop Advisory Group LLC now owns 24,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 9,120 shares during the period. Finally, Wynn Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Ambev by 20.2% in the fourth quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 97,790 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,000 after acquiring an additional 16,435 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ABEV. Morgan Stanley lowered Ambev from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Ambev in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group downgraded Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $2.45.

Ambev Stock Performance

ABEV stock opened at $2.50 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $39.32 billion, a PE ratio of 13.86, a P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68. Ambev S.A. has a 12-month low of $1.76 and a 12-month high of $2.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The business has a 50 day moving average of $2.29 and a 200-day moving average of $2.12.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.06 by ($0.01). Ambev had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 16.12%. The firm had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.42 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a $0.0221 dividend. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. Ambev’s payout ratio is 52.94%.

Ambev Profile

Ambev SA, through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of beer, draft beer, carbonated soft drinks, malt and food, other alcoholic beverages, and non-alcoholic and non-carbonated products in Brazil, Central America and Caribbean, Latin America South, and Canada. It offers beer primarily under the Skol, Brahma, Antarctica, Brahva, Budweiser, Bud Light, Beck, Leffe, Hoegaarden, Balboa ICE, Balboa, Atlas Golden Light, Atlas, Bucanero, Cristal, Mayabe, Presidente, Presidente Light, Brahma Light, Bohemia, The One, Corona, Modelo Especial, Stella Artois, Quilmes Clásica, Paceña, Taquiña, Huari, Becker, Cusqueña, Michelob Ultra, Busch, Pilsen, Ouro Fino, Bud 66, Banks, Deputy, Patricia, Labatt Blue, Alexander Keith’s, and Kokanee brands.