Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) has received a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $3.0933.

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Ambev from $3.00 to $3.50 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ambev from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Ambev from $2.65 to $2.90 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ambev from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th.

Ambev Trading Up 0.5%

ABEV stock opened at $3.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $3.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $2.86. The firm has a market cap of $49.26 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.64. Ambev has a fifty-two week low of $2.10 and a fifty-two week high of $3.45.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.05. The company had revenue of $4.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.38 billion. Ambev had a net margin of 17.69% and a return on equity of 16.63%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ambev will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 24th will be given a dividend of $0.0092 per share. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 24th. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ambev

In other news, insider De Lacerda Eduardo Cavalcanti sold 152,386 shares of Ambev stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.85, for a total transaction of $434,300.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 223,340 shares in the company, valued at approximately $636,519. This trade represents a 40.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Institutional Trading of Ambev

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Modern Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ambev during the third quarter worth $25,000. Monument Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Ambev during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Ambev during the third quarter worth $25,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ambev during the first quarter worth $26,000. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ambev during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Ambev

Ambev (NYSE: ABEV) is a Brazilian-based beverage company that produces, distributes and markets a broad portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The company’s core business centers on brewing and selling beer, alongside a range of soft drinks, bottled water, energy drinks and other malt-based beverages. Headquartered in São Paulo, Ambev operates an integrated value chain that covers manufacturing, packaging, logistics and commercial sales to retail, on-premise and institutional customers.

The company traces its origins to the 1999 merger of two historic Brazilian breweries, and later became part of the broader global brewing group through subsequent industry consolidations.