Ranmore Fund Management Ltd Buys New Holdings in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Ranmore Fund Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 4,114,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,611,000. Ambev comprises 7.1% of Ranmore Fund Management Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Ambev by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 84,868 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 5,900 shares during the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD raised its holdings in Ambev by 40.4% in the 4th quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 20,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 5,993 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR lifted its position in Ambev by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 173,066 shares of the company’s stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 6,078 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 85,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,000 after acquiring an additional 6,164 shares during the period. Finally, PDS Planning Inc grew its position in shares of Ambev by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 41,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 6,374 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Ambev Trading Down 4.8 %

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 P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Ambev S.A. has a twelve month low of $1.76 and a twelve month high of $2.56. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $2.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.12.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.05 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.42 billion. Analysts predict that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a $0.0221 dividend. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.83%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. Ambev’s payout ratio is 52.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on ABEV. Bank of America cut Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Ambev in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $2.45.

Ambev Profile

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.