Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

ABEV has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings cut Ambev from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays boosted their price target on Ambev from $3.00 to $3.50 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Ambev from $2.65 to $2.90 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ambev presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $3.09.

Ambev Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Ambev stock opened at $3.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $48.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.64. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $3.16 and a 200 day moving average of $2.95. 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 results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ambev will post 0.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Ambev

In other news, insider Paulo Andre Zagman sold 136,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.41, for a total transaction of $464,612.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 230,535 shares in the company, valued at $786,124.35. This trade represents a 37.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ambev

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Monument Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Ambev during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. IHT Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ambev during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Ambev during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Ambev during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.