ARGA Investment Management LP Purchases 370,112 Shares of Ambev S.A. $ABEV

ARGA Investment Management LP boosted its holdings in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 62.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 967,134 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 370,112 shares during the quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP’s holdings in Ambev were worth $2,824,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Monument Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Ambev in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new position in Ambev during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ambev in the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. IHT Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ambev in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, S Harris Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Ambev in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ABEV has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on Ambev from $3.00 to $3.50 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ambev from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 5th. UBS Group increased their price target on Ambev from $2.65 to $2.90 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Ambev from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ambev has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $3.09.

Ambev Stock Up 0.8%

Ambev stock opened at $3.06 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $3.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $2.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Ambev S.A. has a twelve month low of $2.10 and a twelve month high of $3.45. The company has a market capitalization of $48.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.64.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.05. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 17.69%.The business had revenue of $4.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.38 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Ambev S.A. will post 0.2 EPS for the current year.

Ambev Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.0092 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 24th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.53%.

Insider Transactions at Ambev

In related news, insider Paulo Andre Zagman sold 136,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.41, for a total value of $464,612.50. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 230,535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $786,124.35. The trade was a 37.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

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.