Analysts Set Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) PT at $71.50

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $71.50.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Argus upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $70.10 to $88.00 in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Berenberg Bank started coverage on shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BUD. Dodge & Cox raised its position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 27.7% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 39,996,830 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock worth $2,002,641,000 after buying an additional 8,670,940 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the 4th quarter worth about $56,849,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,311,000. Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,540,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 7.2% during the 4th 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 5.53% of the company’s stock.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Stock Performance

Shares of BUD stock opened at $68.52 on Friday. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a 12 month low of $45.94 and a 12 month high of $68.72. The stock has a market cap of $123.14 billion, a PE ratio of 21.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $64.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.89.

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

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 7th will be given a $1.0492 dividend. This is a positive change from Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV’s previous annual dividend of $0.87. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 7th. This represents a yield of 1.2%. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV’s payout ratio is 22.32%.

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.