Boston Beer (NYSE:SAM) Shares Gap Down Following Analyst Downgrade

The Boston Beer Company, Inc. (NYSE:SAM)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Wednesday after Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on the stock from $245.00 to $235.00. The stock had previously closed at $227.45, but opened at $207.70. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Boston Beer shares last traded at $222.15, with a volume of 55,686 shares.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Boston Beer from $230.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Boston Beer from $250.00 to $220.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $245.00 target price on shares of Boston Beer in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Boston Beer from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Boston Beer in a report on Monday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $233.71.

Trending Headlines about Boston Beer

Here are the key news stories impacting Boston Beer this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results surprised on the upside on EPS and margins — SAM reported a narrower-than-feared loss and stronger gross margin (up ~360 bps), beating EPS and revenue estimates, which supports near-term earnings credibility. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management outlined a FY-2026 EPS target of $8.50–$11 and flagged margin gains plus expansion of the Sun Cruiser platform — this highlights potential upside if volumes and mix recover. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $230 while keeping a Neutral rating — a modest endorsement but not a buy signal. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its target to $235 and kept an Equal Weight rating — mixed analyst tone that may limit upside momentum. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative analyst coverage (BUD vs SAM) keeps the stock in the spotlight for value-oriented investors but doesn’t change SAM’s immediate operating picture. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Demand weakness: depletions fell ~6% and shipments ~7.5% in Q4, with revenue down ~4.1% YoY — volume trends are the primary headwind to a durable recovery. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned depletions could fall again in 2026 and cited tariff policy risks that could pressure margins and guidance — this increased uncertainty likely pressured the stock. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: FY-2026 EPS guidance ($8.50–$11) sits below some street expectations (consensus ~$10.96 midpoint), leaving investors focused on whether volume recovery and margin gains can meet the high end of the range. Read More.

Institutional Trading of Boston Beer

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of SAM. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Boston Beer by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,039,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $202,776,000 after purchasing an additional 89,053 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Boston Beer by 340.4% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 647,060 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,801,000 after buying an additional 500,120 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Boston Beer by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 271,516 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,981,000 after buying an additional 13,113 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Boston Beer by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 265,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,191,000 after buying an additional 3,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gotham Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Boston Beer by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 248,910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,570,000 after buying an additional 35,644 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.13% of the company’s stock.

Boston Beer Trading Down 4.0%

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $217.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $213.91. The company has a market capitalization of $2.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.03.

Boston Beer (NYSE:SAM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported ($2.12) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.33) by $0.21. Boston Beer had a return on equity of 11.96% and a net margin of 5.20%.The business had revenue of $385.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $381.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($1.68) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% on a year-over-year basis. Boston Beer has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.500-11.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Boston Beer Company, Inc. will post 9.29 EPS for the current year.

Boston Beer Company Profile

The Boston Beer Company, Inc (NYSE: SAM) is a leading craft brewer headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Since its founding in 1984 by Jim Koch, the company has focused on producing high-quality, distinctive beers and beverages for retail, on-premise, and distribution partners across the United States. Its operations include brewing, packaging, marketing and distribution, supported by a network of wholly owned brewing facilities and strategic partnerships with regional breweries.

Boston Beer’s flagship brand, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, helped establish the modern U.S.