Pitcairn Co. Sells 8,798 Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Pitcairn Co. reduced its stake in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 168,975 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,798 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in Ambev were worth $313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in Ambev by 61.7% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 202,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 77,423 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 35.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 78,604 shares of the company’s stock worth $192,000 after buying an additional 20,599 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Ambev by 34.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 382,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $934,000 after buying an additional 97,150 shares in the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Ambev during the third quarter valued at $243,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ambev by 18.3% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 54,013 shares of the company’s stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 8,350 shares in the last quarter. 8.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ABEV has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Ambev in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America cut Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ambev currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $2.45.

Ambev Trading Down 4.8 %

NYSE:ABEV opened at $2.31 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.81, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68. Ambev S.A. has a 52 week low of $1.76 and a 52 week high of $2.56. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $2.08 and a 200 day moving average of $2.12.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by ($0.01). Ambev had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 17.02%. The business had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.42 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.0221 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.09 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.83%. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.94%.

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.