Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Shares Sold by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP lowered its holdings in Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 73.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 146,359 shares of the company’s stock after selling 401,342 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP’s holdings in Ambev were worth $271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in Ambev by 61.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 202,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $495,000 after purchasing an additional 77,423 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ambev by 22.5% in the third quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 212,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $517,000 after buying an additional 39,000 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in shares of Ambev by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 910,885 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,186,000 after buying an additional 128,439 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in Ambev by 35.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 78,604 shares of the company’s stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 20,599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Ambev by 34.0% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 382,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $934,000 after acquiring an additional 97,150 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 8.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Ambev in a research report on Monday, January 27th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America downgraded Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.45.

Ambev Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE ABEV opened at $2.28 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $35.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Ambev S.A. has a 12 month low of $1.76 and a 12 month high of $2.56. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $2.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.12.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.06 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.42 billion. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 17.02%. As a group, research analysts predict that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.0221 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.09 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.88%. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.94%.

About Ambev

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.