Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Grows Stock Position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 47.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 173,000 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 56,000 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Ambev were worth $484,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ambev in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Ambev in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Ambev in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. West Family Investments Inc. acquired a new position in Ambev during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Hartford Financial Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 period. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ambev Stock Down 0.4 %

Ambev stock opened at $2.31 on Friday. Ambev S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $2.23 and a fifty-two week high of $3.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $2.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.89.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

ABEV has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lowered Ambev from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $3.50 to $3.00 in a report on Monday, March 4th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Ambev in a research note on Friday, January 26th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Friday, March 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $3.20.

About Ambev

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.