Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) have received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $2.35.

Several research firms have commented on ABEV. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Ambev to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. UBS Group lowered their target price on Ambev from $2.50 to $2.20 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. HSBC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Ambev in a report on Friday, August 1st. Zacks Research upgraded Ambev from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Thursday, October 30th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ambev

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Xponance Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ambev during the first quarter worth $38,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Ambev by 29.4% during the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 109,818 shares of the company’s stock worth $256,000 after buying an additional 24,950 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ambev during the 1st quarter worth about $65,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ambev by 2,502.6% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 739,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,722,000 after acquiring an additional 710,842 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Ambev by 13.7% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 115,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 13,997 shares during the last quarter. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ambev Price Performance

ABEV opened at $2.54 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $2.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.34. Ambev has a 12-month low of $1.76 and a 12-month high of $2.63. The firm has a market cap of $39.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.84, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.97 billion. Ambev had a net margin of 16.18% and a return on equity of 15.39%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ambev will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ambev Company Profile

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.