Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) has been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the five research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $2.70.

Several research analysts have issued reports on ABEV shares. Morgan Stanley lowered Ambev from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Barclays upped their target price on Ambev from $2.00 to $2.50 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on Ambev in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd.

Ambev Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of Ambev stock opened at $2.53 on Tuesday. Ambev has a twelve month low of $1.76 and a twelve month high of $2.64. 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 price of $2.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $2.15. The firm has a market cap of $39.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.03, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.80.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.40 billion. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 17.02%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ambev will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a — dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a $0.0219 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. This represents a dividend yield of 5%. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio is currently 68.75%.

Institutional Trading of Ambev

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Ambev by 130.9% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 66,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $123,000 after acquiring an additional 37,696 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Ambev by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 113,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 16,833 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Ambev by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 81,547 shares of the company’s stock valued at $151,000 after buying an additional 9,866 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Ambev by 78.6% during the 4th quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 46,755 shares of the company’s stock worth $86,000 after buying an additional 20,575 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

About Ambev

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.