Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $71.70.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $60.00 to $76.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 12th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV from $67.00 to $65.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 5th.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE BUD opened at $60.56 on Wednesday. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV has a one year low of $51.66 and a one year high of $66.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market cap of $105.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $60.20 and its 200-day moving average is $61.46.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The consumer goods maker reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $14.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.34 billion. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV had a net margin of 8.99% and a return on equity of 13.57%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.98 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV will post 3.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 6th will be given a $0.8722 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 3rd. This represents a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is an increase from Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV’s previous annual dividend of $0.61. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV’s payout ratio is 24.53%.

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

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 11.6% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 10,367,287 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock valued at $573,311,000 after buying an additional 1,077,724 shares during the period. Armistice Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,876,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its position in shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 36.8% during the 1st quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 2,062,543 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock valued at $125,389,000 after acquiring an additional 555,362 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV in the 4th quarter valued at about $136,630,000. Finally, Seafarer Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV by 20.2% during the 1st quarter. Seafarer Capital Partners LLC now owns 952,000 shares of the consumer goods maker’s stock worth $57,863,000 after buying an additional 160,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 5.53% of the company’s stock.

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.