Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Shares Sold by Wells Fargo & Company MN

Wells Fargo & Company MN cut its stake in shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,531,407 shares of the company’s stock after selling 157,283 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN’s holdings in Ambev were worth $6,533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Insight Inv LLC purchased a new position in Ambev during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Naviter Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Ambev in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Ambev in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Angeles Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ambev during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Mondrian Investment Partners LTD grew its stake in Ambev by 40.4% during the 4th quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 20,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 5,993 shares in the last quarter. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ambev Price Performance

NYSE ABEV opened at $2.41 on Friday. Ambev S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $1.76 and a fifty-two week high of $2.56. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $2.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2.12. The firm has a market cap of $37.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68. 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 (NYSE:ABEV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.06 by ($0.01). Ambev had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 17.02%. The company had revenue of $4.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.42 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Ambev S.A. will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ambev Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a $0.0221 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.67%. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on ABEV. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Ambev in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered Ambev from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Bank of America lowered Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ambev presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $2.45.

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.