Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Sells 20,000 Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lowered its position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 619,122 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,000 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Ambev were worth $1,734,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABEV. Baron Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,362 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 3,963 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Ambev by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 502,445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,296,000 after acquiring an additional 3,985 shares in the last quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. increased its stake in Ambev by 49.9% in the 4th quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 12,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 4,238 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its position in Ambev by 37.2% in the third quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 16,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 4,348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jeppson Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ambev by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC now owns 41,755 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Barclays lowered shares of Ambev from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $3.50 to $3.00 in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Ambev in a research report on Friday, January 26th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $3.20.

Ambev Price Performance

ABEV opened at $2.33 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $36.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.94, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $2.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $2.62. Ambev S.A. has a twelve month low of $2.23 and a twelve month high of $3.23.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.05 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $4.04 billion during the quarter. Ambev had a net margin of 18.19% and a return on equity of 17.60%. Equities analysts expect that Ambev S.A. will post 0.19 EPS for the current year.

Ambev Company Profile

Ambev SA, through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, distribution, and sale of beer, draft beer, carbonated soft drinks, other non-alcoholic beverages, malt, and food products. It offers beer primarily under the Skol, Brahma, Antarctica, Brahva, Budweiser, Bud Light, Beck, Leffe and Hoegaarden, 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, Banks, Deputy, Patricia, Labatt Blue, Alexander Keith's, and Kokanee brands.