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

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and nine have given a hold rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $2.5267.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ABEV shares. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $2.88 price objective on shares of Ambev in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ambev in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Ambev from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th.

Ambev Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE ABEV opened at $2.52 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.63 billion, a PE ratio of 13.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $2.47 and a 200-day moving average of $2.34. Ambev has a 52-week low of $1.77 and a 52-week high of $2.63.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04. Ambev had a return on equity of 15.81% and a net margin of 17.90%.The firm had revenue of $3.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.97 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Ambev will post 0.18 EPS for the current year.

Ambev Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be paid a $0.049 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1,465.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 22nd. Ambev’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 183.33%.

Institutional Trading of Ambev

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Abacus Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Ambev in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ambev in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ambev during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Modern Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ambev during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Bensler LLC acquired a new position in Ambev during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ambev

Ambev (NYSE: ABEV) is a Brazilian-based beverage company that produces, distributes and markets a broad portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The company’s core business centers on brewing and selling beer, alongside a range of soft drinks, bottled water, energy drinks and other malt-based beverages. Headquartered in São Paulo, Ambev operates an integrated value chain that covers manufacturing, packaging, logistics and commercial sales to retail, on-premise and institutional customers.

The company traces its origins to the 1999 merger of two historic Brazilian breweries, and later became part of the broader global brewing group through subsequent industry consolidations.