Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Receives $2.45 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $2.45.

Several research firms recently weighed in on ABEV. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America lowered shares of Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com began coverage on Ambev in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Ambev from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday.

Ambev Price Performance

Shares of ABEV opened at $2.30 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market cap of $36.23 billion, a PE ratio of 12.78, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $2.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.12. Ambev has a twelve month low of $1.76 and a twelve month high of $2.56.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.42 billion. Ambev had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 16.12%. As a group, research analysts expect that Ambev will post 0.18 EPS 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 given a dividend of $0.0221 per share. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.94%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ambev

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Ambev by 61.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 202,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $495,000 after acquiring an additional 77,423 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Ambev by 35.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 78,604 shares of the company’s stock valued at $192,000 after purchasing an additional 20,599 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Ambev by 34.0% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 382,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $934,000 after purchasing an additional 97,150 shares in the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP bought a new position in Ambev in the third quarter worth $243,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Ambev by 18.3% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 54,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $129,000 after buying an additional 8,350 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Ambev Company 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.