Bank of New York Mellon Corp Trims Stake in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 861,275 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,922 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in Ambev were worth $1,593,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Ambev by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 84,868 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 5,900 shares in the last quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP grew its position in Ambev by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 13,063,556 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,168,000 after buying an additional 552,220 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position in Ambev by 37.8% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,085,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,008,000 after buying an additional 298,000 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in Ambev by 185.5% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 34,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 22,531 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new position in Ambev during the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ambev Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of ABEV stock opened at $2.36 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.12. Ambev S.A. has a 12-month low of $1.76 and a 12-month high of $2.56. The firm has a market cap of $37.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.94.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last released its 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). Ambev had a net margin of 17.02% and a return on equity of 16.12%. The company had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.42 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 3.75%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ABEV has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America cut Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays dropped their price target on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com started coverage on Ambev in a research note on Monday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ambev has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.