Analysts Set Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Price Target at $3.09

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) has received a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $3.0933.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ABEV. Weiss Ratings cut Ambev from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group raised their price target on Ambev from $2.65 to $2.90 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Barclays raised their price target on Ambev from $3.00 to $3.50 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Ambev from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th.

Insider Transactions at Ambev

In related news, insider De Lacerda Eduardo Cavalcanti sold 152,386 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.85, for a total transaction of $434,300.10. Following the transaction, the insider owned 223,340 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $636,519. This trade represents a 40.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 value of $464,612.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 230,535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $786,124.35. This represents a 37.15% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ambev

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ambev by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 23,578 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 3,553 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA lifted its position in Ambev by 2.2% in the first quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 173,886 shares of the company’s stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 3,702 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Ambev by 34.3% in the fourth quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,411 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 3,936 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Ambev by 7.1% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 62,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $183,000 after purchasing an additional 4,121 shares during the period. Finally, Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec lifted its position in Ambev by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 100,451 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 4,237 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Ambev Trading Up 1.1%

ABEV opened at $3.26 on Friday. Ambev has a one year low of $2.10 and a one year high of $3.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.30 billion, a PE ratio of 17.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.64. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $3.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 17.69%.The company had revenue of $4.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.38 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ambev will post 0.21 EPS for the current year.

Ambev Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.0092 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 24th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.89%.

Ambev Company Profile

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.