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

Ambev S.A. (NYSE:ABEV) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and six have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $2.6933.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ABEV shares. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ambev from $2.50 to $3.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Ambev from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $2.88 price target on shares of Ambev in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ambev in a research note on Monday, December 29th.

Ambev Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:ABEV opened at $3.21 on Thursday. Ambev has a 1 year low of $1.95 and a 1 year high of $3.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The business’s 50-day moving average is $2.74 and its 200-day moving average is $2.47. The company has a market capitalization of $50.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.65.

Ambev (NYSE:ABEV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.05. The firm had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. Ambev had a return on equity of 16.41% and a net margin of 17.75%. Equities research analysts predict that Ambev will post 0.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Ambev Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.049 per share. This represents a yield of 1,465.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 22nd. Ambev’s payout ratio is 183.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ABEV. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ambev in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Ambev by 62.5% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,399,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,591,000 after buying an additional 922,566 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ambev by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 5,000,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,650,000 after buying an additional 582,153 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new position in shares of Ambev during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ambev in the first quarter valued at approximately $264,000. 8.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ambev Company Profile

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.