Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

BUD has been the subject of several other reports. Argus upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank initiated coverage on Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.00.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Price Performance

NYSE:BUD opened at $67.30 on Friday. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a 52-week low of $45.94 and a 52-week high of $67.55. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $63.33 and a 200 day moving average of $56.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.83.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The consumer goods maker reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.04. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a return on equity of 15.29% and a net margin of 10.98%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.75 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dodge & Cox boosted its holdings in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 27.7% during the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 39,996,830 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock valued at $2,002,641,000 after acquiring an additional 8,670,940 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 7,569,492 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock valued at $379,004,000 after purchasing an additional 505,206 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 2,594,619 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock valued at $129,201,000 after purchasing an additional 134,243 shares during the period. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 30.3% during the fourth quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,493,842 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock valued at $74,797,000 after purchasing an additional 347,000 shares during the period. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the fourth quarter worth approximately $56,849,000. 5.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV produces, distributes, exports, markets, and sells beer and beverages. It offers a portfolio of approximately 500 beer brands, which primarily include Budweiser, Corona, and Stella Artois; Beck's, Hoegaarden, Leffe, and Michelob Ultra; and Aguila, Antarctica, Bud Light, Brahma, Cass, Castle, Castle Lite, Cristal, Harbin, Jupiler, Modelo Especial, Quilmes, Victoria, Sedrin, and Skol brands.