Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Hold”

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

ABEV has been the topic of a number of other reports. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Ambev from $3.00 to $3.50 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Ambev from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Ambev from $2.65 to $2.90 and gave the company 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $3.09.

Ambev Stock Performance

Shares of Ambev stock opened at $3.06 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The firm has a market cap of $48.31 billion, a PE ratio of 16.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.64. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $3.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $2.97. Ambev has a 52 week low of $2.10 and a 52 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 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Ambev will post 0.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Paulo Andre Zagman sold 136,250 shares of Ambev stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.41, for a total value of $464,612.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 230,535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $786,124.35. This trade represents a 37.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Monument Capital Management bought a new position in Ambev during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in Ambev during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ambev during the first quarter valued at about $26,000. IHT Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ambev in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, S Harris Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.