Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) Rating Lowered to “Neutral” at UBS Group

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) was downgraded by UBS Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

ABEV has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Barclays dropped their target price on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America lowered Ambev from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Ambev in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut Ambev from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2.45.

Ambev Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ABEV opened at $2.45 on Tuesday. Ambev has a 1-year low of $1.76 and a 1-year high of $2.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market cap of $38.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.61, a P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $2.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $2.12.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last announced 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). The business had revenue of $4.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.42 billion. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 17.02%. Sell-side analysts predict that Ambev will post 0.18 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ambev

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. acquired a new stake in Ambev in the first quarter valued at $925,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Ambev by 46.8% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 99,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,000 after acquiring an additional 31,746 shares during the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ambev during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Moran Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Ambev by 9.3% during the 1st quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,863,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,342,000 after acquiring an additional 157,817 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Altrius Capital Management Inc raised its position in Ambev by 13.3% during the first quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 4,058,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,457,000 after acquiring an additional 475,419 shares during the last quarter. 8.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.