Van ECK Associates Corp Reduces Position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV)

Van ECK Associates Corp decreased its position in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 433,628 shares of the company’s stock after selling 32,444 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Ambev were worth $1,214,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABEV. Seafarer Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Seafarer Capital Partners LLC now owns 19,399,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,317,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,000 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Ambev by 57.6% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 17,279 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 6,314 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ambev by 54.6% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 60,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,000 after acquiring an additional 21,351 shares during the last quarter. HTLF Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Ambev in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ambev by 47.9% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 173,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 56,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Ambev Stock Performance

NYSE ABEV opened at $2.34 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. Ambev S.A. has a twelve month low of $2.23 and a twelve month high of $3.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $2.43 and a 200 day moving average of $2.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.97, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ABEV has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Friday, March 1st. Barclays lowered their target price on Ambev from $3.00 to $2.50 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Ambev in a research report on Friday, January 26th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $3.03.

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.